Saturday, June 18, 2011
Gone until Wednesday
I'll be out of town for the next 5 days, so I won't be able to review any shows. This means I won't be reviewing any shows, including the season finales of Game of Thrones and The Killing until I get back, but I'll get on them as soon as possible.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Review - Franklin & Bash Season 1 Episode 3 Jennifer of Troy (and a bit about the portrayal of Chinese on television)
As it pains me to admit, I kind of like Franklin & Bash. Sure, it's immature, but that's the appeal. The show is just so ridiculous you can't help but laugh. Take the premise of "Jennifer of Troy," for example: A not overly attractive woman wants to sue her employer for firing her for being too attractive.
You wonder, how will Franklin and Bash prove this? Will the writers pull out something brilliant? Of course not! The courtroom devolves into a madhouse with the wildest antic yet, Bash making out with the client on the stand. I laughed out loud really hard at the sheer silliness of the whole thing. This show is flat out bonkers. The episode does leave something of a message, that beauty comes in many forms, but that clearly wasn't the priority of the episode.
The other plot involves Infeld and the guy who is supposed to work on Franklin and Bash's internet. The details aren't important, but Infeld works his mystical guru magic and all is well at the end.
What I want to discuss is television's portrayal of Chinese people. I was watching the X-Files episode "Hell Money" earlier today and after watching "Jennifer of Troy," it struck a nerve. You will almost never see a Chinese person on television (or in movies, for that matter), whether it's network or cable television, but when you see several of them, it's always in a certain context. It's like all the Chinese people are cordoned off in one area, completely separate from everyone else. They seem to live in a parallel universe--in the United Sates but with different values. They have a different social structure which requires expositional dialogue to explain.
Of course, this isn't the case in real life. You can find large groups of Chinese all across the country living just like everyone else (and find old people without accents!), not just in secluded areas by themselves. I could go on about this in more detail if I had the time (shoot me an email if you want me to), but you get my drift.
Whenever I see this specific portrayal, I wonder why it happens. Isn't liberal Hollywood supposed to be a bastion of tolerance and inclusion? Why does it choose to marginalize Chinese by painting them as an Other?
Score: 8.2/10
You wonder, how will Franklin and Bash prove this? Will the writers pull out something brilliant? Of course not! The courtroom devolves into a madhouse with the wildest antic yet, Bash making out with the client on the stand. I laughed out loud really hard at the sheer silliness of the whole thing. This show is flat out bonkers. The episode does leave something of a message, that beauty comes in many forms, but that clearly wasn't the priority of the episode.
The other plot involves Infeld and the guy who is supposed to work on Franklin and Bash's internet. The details aren't important, but Infeld works his mystical guru magic and all is well at the end.
What I want to discuss is television's portrayal of Chinese people. I was watching the X-Files episode "Hell Money" earlier today and after watching "Jennifer of Troy," it struck a nerve. You will almost never see a Chinese person on television (or in movies, for that matter), whether it's network or cable television, but when you see several of them, it's always in a certain context. It's like all the Chinese people are cordoned off in one area, completely separate from everyone else. They seem to live in a parallel universe--in the United Sates but with different values. They have a different social structure which requires expositional dialogue to explain.
Of course, this isn't the case in real life. You can find large groups of Chinese all across the country living just like everyone else (and find old people without accents!), not just in secluded areas by themselves. I could go on about this in more detail if I had the time (shoot me an email if you want me to), but you get my drift.
Whenever I see this specific portrayal, I wonder why it happens. Isn't liberal Hollywood supposed to be a bastion of tolerance and inclusion? Why does it choose to marginalize Chinese by painting them as an Other?
Score: 8.2/10
Review - The X-Files Season 3 Episode 19 Hell Money / 20 Jose Chung's From Outer Space
"Hell Money"
Unlike the previous episode, "Hell Money" actually has some interesting ideas. There is a particularly cruel lottery in which the loser loses an organ instead of a dollar, and spirits in freaky masks going about the place. The family drama behind the lottery is potent as well, a sick daughter and a father needing money for an operation. The set-up is decent and could have made for a good episode.
Unfortunately, the episode suffers from the same problem as "Teso Dos Bichos"--Mulder and Scully aren't involved. They follow-up on leads and do normal investigation stuff, but none of it seems particularly special. There isn't much of a supernatural presence, and their input hardly makes a difference in the episode. Eventually, they reach place of the lottery, bust in with their guns, arrest Chao, and it's over.
Score: 8.1/10
"Jose Chung's From Outer Space"
"Jose Chung's From Outer Space" is possibly the best episode of The X-Files. Regardless of where you think it ranks, though, the episode is undoubtedly an instant classic. Penned by Darin Morgan, it's an incredible episode from beginning to end--funny, delightful, insightful, everything. The episode is more peculiar than most episodes, but Morgan, who wrote most of the other funny episodes ("Clyde Bruckman," "Humbug," "War of the Coprophages"), knows the exact balance and when to pull back on the absurdity.
The premise of the episode isn't that complicated: Scully is visited by the famed writer Jose Chung, who is doing research for his latest book. He wants her account of a particular incident, and this frame narrative of their discussion leads us through various characters and wildly differing accounts. And you can kind of piece together a general idea of what happened. The two teenagers Chrissy and Harold were probably taken by people from the Air Force dressed as aliens in order to hide the existence of an experiment. It's possible that the kidnappers, Chrissy, and Harold were then taken by actual aliens, though only Harold and Roky seem to recall this. In between all of this, two men in black who look like Jesse Ventura and Alex Trebek are going around warning people to be quiet.
Of course, none of this has to do with the central mythology of The X-Files--no Syndicate, no black oil. But it has lots to say on the entire show in general and the search for the unknown. Every character has their story, their beliefs of what happened. And through this, they form the way they think. Jose Chung sums this up nicely at the end: "For although we may not be alone in the universe, in our own separate ways on this planet, we are all alone." Peering into the darkness, all these people who seem to have experienced the same events, or were at least in the same vicinity, are on vastly different tracks, believing what they may believe, desiring what they may desire.
The frame which the episode operates through is incredibly effective. Humor permeates the episode, inside jokes flowing from one line to the next as the story unfolds.As Scully talks with Jose Chung, the story is slowly strung together, and by the end of the episode, we have a much better idea of what happened. It is also not clear exactly what happened. Were Chrissy's memories stolen through hypnotism? Was Mulder with the Air Force pilot in the diner? Who were the men in black working for? At the end of the day, the truth is not known by anyone, despite multiple stories.
The opening of the episode--what appears to be a spaceship flying through the sky and the camera pulling back to reveal a basket holding an electric worker--shows the exact problem. Everyone sees things from close-up, at the ground-level. Even the most intuitive person cannot hope to get the full story without pulling back to see the larger picture. In this case, the government likely knows what happened, but muddles things up even more by messing with Chrissy and Harold.
Score: 9.8/10
Unlike the previous episode, "Hell Money" actually has some interesting ideas. There is a particularly cruel lottery in which the loser loses an organ instead of a dollar, and spirits in freaky masks going about the place. The family drama behind the lottery is potent as well, a sick daughter and a father needing money for an operation. The set-up is decent and could have made for a good episode.
Unfortunately, the episode suffers from the same problem as "Teso Dos Bichos"--Mulder and Scully aren't involved. They follow-up on leads and do normal investigation stuff, but none of it seems particularly special. There isn't much of a supernatural presence, and their input hardly makes a difference in the episode. Eventually, they reach place of the lottery, bust in with their guns, arrest Chao, and it's over.
Score: 8.1/10
"Jose Chung's From Outer Space"
"Jose Chung's From Outer Space" is possibly the best episode of The X-Files. Regardless of where you think it ranks, though, the episode is undoubtedly an instant classic. Penned by Darin Morgan, it's an incredible episode from beginning to end--funny, delightful, insightful, everything. The episode is more peculiar than most episodes, but Morgan, who wrote most of the other funny episodes ("Clyde Bruckman," "Humbug," "War of the Coprophages"), knows the exact balance and when to pull back on the absurdity.
The premise of the episode isn't that complicated: Scully is visited by the famed writer Jose Chung, who is doing research for his latest book. He wants her account of a particular incident, and this frame narrative of their discussion leads us through various characters and wildly differing accounts. And you can kind of piece together a general idea of what happened. The two teenagers Chrissy and Harold were probably taken by people from the Air Force dressed as aliens in order to hide the existence of an experiment. It's possible that the kidnappers, Chrissy, and Harold were then taken by actual aliens, though only Harold and Roky seem to recall this. In between all of this, two men in black who look like Jesse Ventura and Alex Trebek are going around warning people to be quiet.
Of course, none of this has to do with the central mythology of The X-Files--no Syndicate, no black oil. But it has lots to say on the entire show in general and the search for the unknown. Every character has their story, their beliefs of what happened. And through this, they form the way they think. Jose Chung sums this up nicely at the end: "For although we may not be alone in the universe, in our own separate ways on this planet, we are all alone." Peering into the darkness, all these people who seem to have experienced the same events, or were at least in the same vicinity, are on vastly different tracks, believing what they may believe, desiring what they may desire.
The frame which the episode operates through is incredibly effective. Humor permeates the episode, inside jokes flowing from one line to the next as the story unfolds.As Scully talks with Jose Chung, the story is slowly strung together, and by the end of the episode, we have a much better idea of what happened. It is also not clear exactly what happened. Were Chrissy's memories stolen through hypnotism? Was Mulder with the Air Force pilot in the diner? Who were the men in black working for? At the end of the day, the truth is not known by anyone, despite multiple stories.
The opening of the episode--what appears to be a spaceship flying through the sky and the camera pulling back to reveal a basket holding an electric worker--shows the exact problem. Everyone sees things from close-up, at the ground-level. Even the most intuitive person cannot hope to get the full story without pulling back to see the larger picture. In this case, the government likely knows what happened, but muddles things up even more by messing with Chrissy and Harold.
Score: 9.8/10
Review - Covert Affairs Season 2 Episode 2 Good Advices
A big reason why I liked the first season of Covert Affairs is that it had the sheen of newness. Annie Walker just joined the CIA and didn't have a good grasp on the whole place. She grew through the season, but was still flustered at times and trying to figure out who she was.
"Good Advices," however, is about as straightforward as an episode gets. She goes to Paris, competes with the Eyal, the Mossad agent from last season, for information from a woman, plays spy games with him, and they eventually save each other from harm. The interaction is cute enough, but there's really not enough meat on the episode to say anything more. I guess you can say that Eyal taught her to open herself up, which see does in telling her sister she actually went to Paris, but it seemed more throwaway than anything else.
The other plot is Joan forced into jury duty and Auggie being left in the charge, over Jai's objections. Nothing much comes of it. Joan angers the judge by using her cell phone and is about to become a jury member before making a simple text and getting out. Auggie holds the fort and nothing bad happens, and there is little tension with Jai either.
One last thing, give Annie a gun already!
Score: 8.0/10
"Good Advices," however, is about as straightforward as an episode gets. She goes to Paris, competes with the Eyal, the Mossad agent from last season, for information from a woman, plays spy games with him, and they eventually save each other from harm. The interaction is cute enough, but there's really not enough meat on the episode to say anything more. I guess you can say that Eyal taught her to open herself up, which see does in telling her sister she actually went to Paris, but it seemed more throwaway than anything else.
The other plot is Joan forced into jury duty and Auggie being left in the charge, over Jai's objections. Nothing much comes of it. Joan angers the judge by using her cell phone and is about to become a jury member before making a simple text and getting out. Auggie holds the fort and nothing bad happens, and there is little tension with Jai either.
One last thing, give Annie a gun already!
Score: 8.0/10
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Review - White Collar Season 3 Episode 2 Where There's a Will
Following last week's very strong season premiere, "Where There's a Will" is another strong episode, featuring treasure hunt and a kidnapping. While the plot behind the kidnapping of the girl was rather thin, there was plenty of good stuff in the episode. Elizabeth finally went outside, Peter solves the clue of the sundial, and Neal and Mozzie infiltrate a planetarium. It's all fun stuff to see, even if the plot itself didn't have much.
Meanwhile, Neal talks Peter's art consultant into revealing information about the case--that they have a partial list of the art, possibly including the piece Mozzie went to sell. If Mozzie's sell does go through, which Neal is desperately trying to prevent, red flags will go up everywhere, making it nearly impossible for them to escape on a plane.
What appeals to me most about this season of White Collar is how the writers aren't following the same pattern of the first two season for the overall story. There's no big mystery couched in pointless, cryptic dialogue. There's no pieces of art leading to more pieces of art leading to clues leading to more clues. It's just a straightforward story of a con deceiving the fed and the fed trying to catch the con--all the while working together. In this simpler set-up, we can enjoy the interplay between the characters and the overall story without being dragged around by the writers and the latest goose chase.
Score: 8.8/10
Meanwhile, Neal talks Peter's art consultant into revealing information about the case--that they have a partial list of the art, possibly including the piece Mozzie went to sell. If Mozzie's sell does go through, which Neal is desperately trying to prevent, red flags will go up everywhere, making it nearly impossible for them to escape on a plane.
What appeals to me most about this season of White Collar is how the writers aren't following the same pattern of the first two season for the overall story. There's no big mystery couched in pointless, cryptic dialogue. There's no pieces of art leading to more pieces of art leading to clues leading to more clues. It's just a straightforward story of a con deceiving the fed and the fed trying to catch the con--all the while working together. In this simpler set-up, we can enjoy the interplay between the characters and the overall story without being dragged around by the writers and the latest goose chase.
Score: 8.8/10
Review - Breaking Bad Season 1 Episode 6 Crazy Handful of Nothin' / 7 A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal
"Crazy Handful of Nothin'"
The cold open of "Crazy Handful of Nothin'," like the beginning of the pilot, defines the enthralling nature of Breaking Bad, the potential for anything to happen in any circumstance. After Walt informs Jesse that he'll will be in charge of the chemistry, Jesse will be in charge of the selling, and that there will be no more violence, we see Walt walking out of a destroyed building with a bloody bag. Holy shit! His head is shaved and we know something really, really bad happened. Again, Bryan Cranston has the perfect look of despair and "I don't give a fuck." Immediately, we wonder how Walt got into that position with his explicit instructions and the episode does not disappoint.
With Krazy-8 and Emilio dead, Jesse is forced to turn to the new big player in town, a guy called Tuco who Skinny Pete knew in prison. Aside from the dingy nature of drug dealing in general, everything seems fine. Tuco isn't quite normal, but neither is the average drug dealer. But the screws slowly come undone, as Tuco keeps revolving, from calm to angry to calm to batshit crazy. Feigning to give Jesse the money, he beats Jesse in a pulp, landing him in the hospital. It is, for the first time, we've seen a real negative to using meth, since it seemed to be the primary reason why Tuco got out of control.
If that wasn't enough, Walt decides to step in. Drained by chemotherapy and the weight of everything around him, Walt just doesn't care. He'll do what it takes to get the money. This transformation is also physical, as Walt shaves his head, and the result is a brutality that goes back to the killing of Krazy-8. He walks in, confronts Tuco, blows the whole floor up, and threatens to blow up even more if Tuco doesn't pay the money plus extra for Jesse. Pure badassery. Outside, Walt sits in his care and pounds the wheel, knowing how it feels to let go for once. And this time, Walt has a continuing deal with Tuco--Heisenberg lives.
There are more external costs for Walt's drug dealing once Hank traces the lab equipment in the desert to the school. The friendly janitor who cleans up after Walt is arrested by drug possession and is presumed to be the cooker. Walt can only look on as Hugo is shackled, knowing his role in all this. But Walt is on this path of drug cooking and earning money. He must continue and take whatever consequences come his way.
Score: 9.6/10
"A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal"
For a season finale, "A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal" doesn't have the tension or dramatic push that one who expect, especially with the preceding episode. Everything kind of comes together, but you can't help but think that the season should continue. The reason for this is likely the writers strike, which decimated television a while back. Without it, Breaking Bad would have had a longer first season and probably more development. In any case, the first season still remains a wonderful exploration into the drug world and the psyche of Walter White.
The episode leads naturally into the second season and would fit better as a season premiere. It opens a new avenue for Walt and Jesse to produce larger quantities of meth as well as establish exactly what their drug dealing will be like. With an increased demand, Walt turns to a new batch of ingredients, one which requires theft of a barrel from storage. There is a sense of recklessness in their actions, going to great, illegal lengths to get the required ingredients. But Walt also promised Tuco and certain amount, and it had to be met.
Walt's second meeting with Tuco isn't as explosive as the first, but it's as unpredictable as Jesse's. After exchanging meth for money, one of Tuco's henchmen says something Tuco doesn't like, and receives a savage beating. Despite Walt's pledge against violence, it happened again and he had to let it happen. Tuco is a crazed man fueled by drugs who also has the pipeline to the druggies. Walt must accept this violence as part of doing business.
The kleptomaniac stuff with Marie was only shown once in a previous episode, so her large role in the season finale doesn't quite seem to fit. It did lead to an important conversation between Skylar and Walt, though. We begin to see Walt trying to rationalize his behavior, first talking with Hank about drugs and second talking with Skylar about doing things for the family. Obviously Marie wasn't trying to help her family by stealing the tiara, but Walt sees something similar in her, the behavior of 'breaking bad'. He continues down this dark path which may have no end, as his cancer treatment is going fine.
Score: 9.0/10
The cold open of "Crazy Handful of Nothin'," like the beginning of the pilot, defines the enthralling nature of Breaking Bad, the potential for anything to happen in any circumstance. After Walt informs Jesse that he'll will be in charge of the chemistry, Jesse will be in charge of the selling, and that there will be no more violence, we see Walt walking out of a destroyed building with a bloody bag. Holy shit! His head is shaved and we know something really, really bad happened. Again, Bryan Cranston has the perfect look of despair and "I don't give a fuck." Immediately, we wonder how Walt got into that position with his explicit instructions and the episode does not disappoint.
With Krazy-8 and Emilio dead, Jesse is forced to turn to the new big player in town, a guy called Tuco who Skinny Pete knew in prison. Aside from the dingy nature of drug dealing in general, everything seems fine. Tuco isn't quite normal, but neither is the average drug dealer. But the screws slowly come undone, as Tuco keeps revolving, from calm to angry to calm to batshit crazy. Feigning to give Jesse the money, he beats Jesse in a pulp, landing him in the hospital. It is, for the first time, we've seen a real negative to using meth, since it seemed to be the primary reason why Tuco got out of control.
If that wasn't enough, Walt decides to step in. Drained by chemotherapy and the weight of everything around him, Walt just doesn't care. He'll do what it takes to get the money. This transformation is also physical, as Walt shaves his head, and the result is a brutality that goes back to the killing of Krazy-8. He walks in, confronts Tuco, blows the whole floor up, and threatens to blow up even more if Tuco doesn't pay the money plus extra for Jesse. Pure badassery. Outside, Walt sits in his care and pounds the wheel, knowing how it feels to let go for once. And this time, Walt has a continuing deal with Tuco--Heisenberg lives.
There are more external costs for Walt's drug dealing once Hank traces the lab equipment in the desert to the school. The friendly janitor who cleans up after Walt is arrested by drug possession and is presumed to be the cooker. Walt can only look on as Hugo is shackled, knowing his role in all this. But Walt is on this path of drug cooking and earning money. He must continue and take whatever consequences come his way.
Score: 9.6/10
"A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal"
For a season finale, "A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal" doesn't have the tension or dramatic push that one who expect, especially with the preceding episode. Everything kind of comes together, but you can't help but think that the season should continue. The reason for this is likely the writers strike, which decimated television a while back. Without it, Breaking Bad would have had a longer first season and probably more development. In any case, the first season still remains a wonderful exploration into the drug world and the psyche of Walter White.
The episode leads naturally into the second season and would fit better as a season premiere. It opens a new avenue for Walt and Jesse to produce larger quantities of meth as well as establish exactly what their drug dealing will be like. With an increased demand, Walt turns to a new batch of ingredients, one which requires theft of a barrel from storage. There is a sense of recklessness in their actions, going to great, illegal lengths to get the required ingredients. But Walt also promised Tuco and certain amount, and it had to be met.
Walt's second meeting with Tuco isn't as explosive as the first, but it's as unpredictable as Jesse's. After exchanging meth for money, one of Tuco's henchmen says something Tuco doesn't like, and receives a savage beating. Despite Walt's pledge against violence, it happened again and he had to let it happen. Tuco is a crazed man fueled by drugs who also has the pipeline to the druggies. Walt must accept this violence as part of doing business.
The kleptomaniac stuff with Marie was only shown once in a previous episode, so her large role in the season finale doesn't quite seem to fit. It did lead to an important conversation between Skylar and Walt, though. We begin to see Walt trying to rationalize his behavior, first talking with Hank about drugs and second talking with Skylar about doing things for the family. Obviously Marie wasn't trying to help her family by stealing the tiara, but Walt sees something similar in her, the behavior of 'breaking bad'. He continues down this dark path which may have no end, as his cancer treatment is going fine.
Score: 9.0/10
Review - United States of Tara Season 3 Episode 11 Crunchy Ice
Wow. With the series finale next week which was intended to be the season finale, it's hard not to think of an ending that will be sad. As Max drives Tara to a new treatment center, Tara kisses Max and jumps off a bridge, capping an episode in which everything reached a boiling point.
It's a horrifying episode from everyone perspective. Bryce continues to wipe out alters, as Buck, T, and Alice all come out before being offed. Meanwhile, Bryce everyone else, culminating in him trying to kill Marshall. This is the final straw and Tara manages to come out, sobbing over what she has done. Her condition has had a huge toll on everyone, and knowing this destroys Tara. The series finale may not provide the ending the writers wanted, but I'm sure Diablo Cody has something good regardless of the cancellation situation.
Score: 9.3/10
It's a horrifying episode from everyone perspective. Bryce continues to wipe out alters, as Buck, T, and Alice all come out before being offed. Meanwhile, Bryce everyone else, culminating in him trying to kill Marshall. This is the final straw and Tara manages to come out, sobbing over what she has done. Her condition has had a huge toll on everyone, and knowing this destroys Tara. The series finale may not provide the ending the writers wanted, but I'm sure Diablo Cody has something good regardless of the cancellation situation.
Score: 9.3/10
Monday, June 13, 2011
Review - Sanctuary Season 3 Episode 19 Out of the Blue
I, for one, will be grateful when Sanctuary goes back to the 13-episode season format in the fall. "Out of the Blue," like last week's episode, takes a well-worn sci-fi concept--putting the characters in an alternate reality--and does nothing innovative with it. What began as a promising season with the Hollow Earth episodes has since become a boring and languid walk through typical science fiction tropes.
The episode begins with Will and Magnus living in a suburban neighborhood, Will as a surgeon and Magnus as a painter. There is nothing special about the episode once everything is set. The audience immediately knows that their condition is caused by an outside source and Will and Magnus soon realize that too, their world unraveling before them. In the end, they break out of their "bliss," and drive off a cliff, escaping from their world. Abby and John act as deterrents to them getting out, which may reflect on the real world, however you want to take it.
Perhaps the most interesting part of this is how Magnus perceives John. She imagines John's killing tendency as a separate entity, the newspaper headline telling us that John was the one who convicted the ripper and that this is what consumed him. Indeed, this is what happened in the real world, an entity which pushed John to kill. But it is John himself that Magnus rejects. Despite his best efforts, she turns away from him. How much of this is attributed to the fact that she wants to get back to the real world is unknown (as is the case with Abby), but she didn't seem to like him regardless of the situation.
The final revelation is that Will and Magnus were put into the state by a large creature and were actually being helped by Virgil St. Pierre of all people (the guy who wanted to bug/hero costume), who was recruited by Kate, Henry, and Bigfoot. The episode all but confirms what we learned in "Metamorphosis," that abnormals are coming out of Hollow Earth. This time, however, a very large number is coming out and all the sanctuaries are on high alert.
At the end of the day, "Out of the Blue" seemed like an unnecessary episode. Sure it was cute to see Magnus and Will in a different setting, but until the end, the episode lacked the punch of forward momentum which fueled the first half of the episode.
Score: 8.0/10
The episode begins with Will and Magnus living in a suburban neighborhood, Will as a surgeon and Magnus as a painter. There is nothing special about the episode once everything is set. The audience immediately knows that their condition is caused by an outside source and Will and Magnus soon realize that too, their world unraveling before them. In the end, they break out of their "bliss," and drive off a cliff, escaping from their world. Abby and John act as deterrents to them getting out, which may reflect on the real world, however you want to take it.
Perhaps the most interesting part of this is how Magnus perceives John. She imagines John's killing tendency as a separate entity, the newspaper headline telling us that John was the one who convicted the ripper and that this is what consumed him. Indeed, this is what happened in the real world, an entity which pushed John to kill. But it is John himself that Magnus rejects. Despite his best efforts, she turns away from him. How much of this is attributed to the fact that she wants to get back to the real world is unknown (as is the case with Abby), but she didn't seem to like him regardless of the situation.
The final revelation is that Will and Magnus were put into the state by a large creature and were actually being helped by Virgil St. Pierre of all people (the guy who wanted to bug/hero costume), who was recruited by Kate, Henry, and Bigfoot. The episode all but confirms what we learned in "Metamorphosis," that abnormals are coming out of Hollow Earth. This time, however, a very large number is coming out and all the sanctuaries are on high alert.
At the end of the day, "Out of the Blue" seemed like an unnecessary episode. Sure it was cute to see Magnus and Will in a different setting, but until the end, the episode lacked the punch of forward momentum which fueled the first half of the episode.
Score: 8.0/10
Review - Treme Season 2 Episode 8 Can I Change My Mind?
With three episodes left in the season, the plots of Treme are on the brink of something big, whether good or bad. Every character is coming to a realization about what he/she wants to, while others continue to flounder.
On the musical side, Delmond plan to infuse jazz with his father's music is moving along, and he also has plans to get his father to take money. Davis's music is warmly received, even if it's not a large stage, so he seems good to go. Annie, however, is lagging behind, afraid to perform her music in the public. After forgoing to chance to perform on stage, she performs on the street, with Davis watching proudly from afar, and it goes fine. For now, these musical endeavors are going the most positively.
Antoine finds himself troubled by the way his sons were brought up. He likes teaching the students, and after seeing how much his sons enjoyed the music at Mardi Gras, he regrets not teaching them to play over the objections of Ladonna.
One of the plots that has bothered me and many other viewers has been Sofia. She keeps acting out and there's nothing much to it. This time, however, she ends up in juvenile detention, which brings about the inevitable confrontation with Toni. It's emotional, intense, and reveals the pain Toni has been carrying all this time, unable to explain why Creighton did what he did.
Another plot that has bothered me is Jannette, who has stayed in New York for far too long without doing much. She is shuffled from one restaurant to another, this time to David Chang's restaurant, but her development seems a bit lacking. Is she just going to go through these restaurants until she realizes that she belongs in New Orleans?
Score: 9.1/10
On the musical side, Delmond plan to infuse jazz with his father's music is moving along, and he also has plans to get his father to take money. Davis's music is warmly received, even if it's not a large stage, so he seems good to go. Annie, however, is lagging behind, afraid to perform her music in the public. After forgoing to chance to perform on stage, she performs on the street, with Davis watching proudly from afar, and it goes fine. For now, these musical endeavors are going the most positively.
Antoine finds himself troubled by the way his sons were brought up. He likes teaching the students, and after seeing how much his sons enjoyed the music at Mardi Gras, he regrets not teaching them to play over the objections of Ladonna.
One of the plots that has bothered me and many other viewers has been Sofia. She keeps acting out and there's nothing much to it. This time, however, she ends up in juvenile detention, which brings about the inevitable confrontation with Toni. It's emotional, intense, and reveals the pain Toni has been carrying all this time, unable to explain why Creighton did what he did.
Another plot that has bothered me is Jannette, who has stayed in New York for far too long without doing much. She is shuffled from one restaurant to another, this time to David Chang's restaurant, but her development seems a bit lacking. Is she just going to go through these restaurants until she realizes that she belongs in New Orleans?
Score: 9.1/10
Review - The Protector Season 1 Episode 1 Pilot
The Protector is as generic as it gets--about the same level as Lifetime movies. Ally Walker plays a divorced mother of two and detective, and it only gets worse from there. The police procedural elements are very basic--uninspired interrogations, hunting leads, office conflicts, female buddy to talk to--and it makes for a boring plot to frame the rest, which isn't much better. The family life is also rife with cliches--cool brother with an alcohol problem, kids dealing with living in a new place--and leaves much to be desired. The end result is a bland hour of television which drags on far too long. I can normally entertain procedurals of all sorts, but this is just too bad even for me.
Score: 6.5/10
Score: 6.5/10
Review - The Killing Season 1 Episode 12 Beau Soleil
Because the first season has 13 episodes, something had to happen in "Beau Soleil." The plot advanced forward and we finally got pertinent facts about Rosie and what was was doing. Unfortunately, though, Rosie being part of an escort service is nothing shocking, and has been done on television plenty of times before. Furthermore, I hardly care about her as a character and this new revelation doesn't do anything for me.
On the plus side, it looks like Linden and Holder are finally on the right track and get the name Orpheus. The final scene was the most frightening ending to any episode, putting Linden alone in the direct path of the potential killer. But we also have to remember that every time it seemed clear the killer was found, it turned out to be wrong. Unless the writers finally changed their pattern after 12 episodes, it's doubtful Richmond is the killer, and there will probably be an easy excuse. Then again, Richmond could actually be the killer and dramatically change things up.
Remember my prediction back at the beginning that Jamie was the killer? Here's my scenario: Jamie knew Richmond was sleeping with Rosie, so he killed her to keep her quiet.
Score: 8.3/10
On the plus side, it looks like Linden and Holder are finally on the right track and get the name Orpheus. The final scene was the most frightening ending to any episode, putting Linden alone in the direct path of the potential killer. But we also have to remember that every time it seemed clear the killer was found, it turned out to be wrong. Unless the writers finally changed their pattern after 12 episodes, it's doubtful Richmond is the killer, and there will probably be an easy excuse. Then again, Richmond could actually be the killer and dramatically change things up.
Remember my prediction back at the beginning that Jamie was the killer? Here's my scenario: Jamie knew Richmond was sleeping with Rosie, so he killed her to keep her quiet.
Score: 8.3/10
