Review - The X-Files Season 4 Episode 1 Herrenvolk / 2 Home

"Herrenvolk"

As I stated in my last review, the end of the third season and beginning of the fourth season, in retrospect, is about where the mythology begins to unravel. There is more and more mystery piled on top of the existing mystery without explanation and it all begins to become too much to handle. At the end of the episode, we have more to work with: bees, pollen, clones (including one based on Mulder's sister), X dead, X's replacement, markers in the smallpox vaccinations, Jeremiah Smith getting offed, the bounty hunter healing Mrs. Mulder. If that seemed like a lot, well, it is. And that's just the new content in this episode along. Include black oil, the alien Deep Throat showed Mulder, the Syndicate, and a bunch of stuff I'm forgetting, The X-Files is already jammed packed with layers and layers of mystery which need explanation.

But I gotta admit, "Herrenvolk" is an exciting episode. Mulder is running around the place with Jeremiah Smith, discovering all this new stuff which seems to be of utmost importance, before returning to the hospital with an incredibly haggard look. (Long aside: I read Cybill Sheperd's autobiography a while back and remember her talking about Moonlighting how long it took for her makeup to be done while Bruce Willis didn't need much, and how she's be blamed if she looked tired while Bruce's looking tired only added to the David Addison look. Point being, I wonder if it was the same with David Duchovny because damn does he look jacked up at the hospital.)

Scully, meanwhile, is abandoned by Mulder at the beginning of the episode (the way she kept yelling his name, never getting a response, made me feel really bad for her), and after some initial excitement, returns back to DC to do some investigating. The other plots of the episode feel the same, part of a never-ending cycle of deception. CSM gets X and Mulder has lost an important ally once more.

By itself, "Herrenvolk" is a strong episode, fast paced and everything. That may be enough for those who don't particularly care about the mythology. But for those who try to connect the dots, those who piece together the puzzle Chris Carter has laid out, it all seems a bit much. Does Chris Carter have the answers for all these questions? If he actually pulled through in the end with a non-convoluted explanation, then I would say he's a genius--but that never happened.

Score: 9.1/10

"Home"

"Home" is an unquestionably classic X-Files episode and memorable to anyone whose watched it. The primary reason is that the episode features some of the most fucked up, degenerate behavior imaginable, directed in the scariest fashion possible. There is a constant feeling of claustrophobia, as Mulder and Scully enter this dark world of the Peacocks and face these horrors. At the same time, though, despite the horror movie setup which often stifles characters, Mulder and Scully, their distinct characterizations in particular, come out. Mulder and Scully can still poke fun at each other even when they are in scary situations.

There is also a disturbing ambiguity in the episode as to who is in the wrong. Obviously the Peacocks are murderers and should be dealt with accordingly, but the initial provocation is in doubt. These are people who isolated themselves from the outside world, unbothered by the tumult of the modern world and not bothering anyone else. But after the baby is found, everything changes. The feds, Mulder and Scully, roll into town, investigating the baby, and everything changes. Even the now-deceased sheriff acknowledged that. There is a touch of sympathy when you think of that it those terms.

The Peacocks were all willing participants in their hellish (from our perspective) and would have been fine if left along. The end result, two dead and only Edmund and his mother alive, is sad in its own way. The incompatibility of the Peacocks and the modern world speaks to the larger idea that the small town life is disappearing. For the mantra "the truth is out there," there is yet another disturbing angle--that the truth and the quest to uncover the truth has with it the destruction of a certain culture and community, much like CSM and the Syndicate hint it.

At the end of the day, "Home" remains a terrifying and brilliant episode whichever way you look at it. There isn't much supernatural element to it and the mystery is largely figured out at the end of the episode. It is the nature of humans that resonates with us and that's where The X-Files strikes its hardest.

Score: 9.8/10

Review - Weeds Season 7 Episode 2 From Trauma Cometh Something

The seventh season of Weeds feels fresh enough that it remains surprisingly enjoyable. With all the characters in New York, there are plenty of unexplored possibilities not hampered by whatever happened in the second season. I have concerns where the show is going, however. The plot this week consists of Nancy running around with the grenades and guns, and trying to trade them to Zoya's brother, ending with Nancy about to get drug tested. This is pretty funny, but Nancy's motivations for entering the drug world are as thin as ever. The only reason why she seems to be doing all this again is because the show is called Weeds, not good motivation in my book.

Score: 8.7/10

Review - Treme Season 2 Episode 11 Do Whatcha Wanna

Through the ups and downs of the season, the characters of Treme end the season in good places, looking forward to what's ahead. It's not all peaches and cream, but given where certain characters were at in the middle of the season, everything has mostly balanced out.

What stands out most is Toni and Sofia having a good time after all the hardship this season. They got through the trying time and it's for the better as they understand each other and their situation better, and can move ahead now.

For Davis, who seemed on the verge of a big musical career, he comes crashing down, replaced by those more talented than him. But it may be more the better since Mimi is happy to announce how much money she's earned and Davis gets to go back to DJing at the radio station (assuming the manager lets him back). Similarly, Antoine becomes disenchanted from his experiences with his band--the absences, others getting better gig--and the band is dissolved. He turns to teaching which is both a stable job, and he seems to like it.

After a season of going from place to place, Janette returns home and starts a potential romance with Jacques and will be in charge of a new New Orleans restaurant. I don't think her plot really went anywhere this season, but it's nice to see her back.

The Abreu plot doesn't get resolved and reinforces the culture of corruption we've seen this season and the harm it causes to individuals. After pushing too hard, Colson is sent back to his uniform position while his relationship with Toni is broken. There is progress, however, with Colson meeting with the FBI. While it might not make up for past hurt, Colson has a chance to right wrongs and possibly get back in Toni's graces.

I think many people got the impression that there was a struggle between Nelson's love of New Orleans and wanting to earn, but I didn't quite see it that way. Nelson was a scumbag through and through who was too blind to even have this struggle. In his mind, he was helping the city through his dealings, even if he was taking a percentage off the top. When his cousin asks him what he actually does, Nelson thinks he is somehow integral to the process, a producer of some kind. But he isn't. He's a leech who went to New Orleans to take advantage of money flowing through government. Whatever goodwill he had was blown right when he got into business. So, I was very happy when all the deals fell through and he was left with nothing.

I don't have time to comment on every character, but I want to comment on LaDonna plot which was done very well. She may rail against the ineffectual police and government, but LaDonna is a fighter who cares about the city and its legacy. Larry acknowledges this and agrees to move to New Orleans to be with her, ending the season on a happy note after so much pain.

Score: 9.3/10

Review - Falling Skies Season 1 Episode 4 Grace

Before "Grace," I didn't think the characters were stupid--they made mostly reasonable decisions about food, shelter, etc--and the plot advanced naturally for the most part. But here comes "Grace," which has a fair amount of plot development born out of sheer stupidity and a lack of reason.

The treatment of the skitter and its surroundings is pathetically dumb. They try talking to it before leaving it alone with Mike and Ricky. Mike, of course, broke ranks in the previous episode from the sight of his son and should be deemed a hot head at the very least. Mike shoving the gun into the cage into the skitter's mouth is the worst, though. Then he leaves Ricky along with the Skitter! It's stupid beyond belief and, yep, something bad happens. Ricky puts the harness back on and might be dead now.

The Pope stuff was bad as well, making characters do something stupid for the sake of being stupid. On a routine mission to recover more motorcycles, Pope smacks Dai and runs off--but blows up the skitter nest with a tank of gas, drawing skitters to Tom's location. It makes little sense why Pope would blow up the skitters when he could have saved the tank of gas, and it's obvious that his actions were intended to advanced the episode forward, so Tom could start shooting again.

I'm sure the the final scene upset some people with the overtly Christian message, but I was fine with it since most people in the US are Christian. And yes, I'll agree that Lourdes is a moron. What bothered me was the sereneness of the scene, the disconcerting ease every character had in saying grace and acting like everything is fine. This unwavering faith really has no tension to it and doesn't worked as a final scene. On the other hand, certain characters expressing their lack of faith in light of the terror they experienced would be both realistic and more dramatic, especially to end the episode.

Score: 7.9/10

Review - Leverage Season 4 Episode 2 The 10 Li'l Grifters Job

Through the first two episodes of the season, Leverage has been keen on situations in which the team is isolated from outside resources. The season premiere featured a large, icy mountain and "The 10 Li'l Grifters Job" has a large, antiquated house on an island during a storm. They make for good settings to con someone and it gives the writers extra leeway for plot holes.

"The 10 Li'l Grifters Job" adds an extra layer, making it somewhat less mainstream than the season premiere in that there is lots of the old-school detective stuff. This aspect of the episode is done fairly well, though I could imagine a show like Castle doing more with the theme. In the end, the episode turns out to be more of a murder mystery than a con, with the requisite item for the con discovered halfway through the episode. I don't think this really fulfills what Leverage was created for, but I think it worked nonetheless, especially since this episode isn't a trend towards solving murders.

Score: 8.8/10

Review - True Blood Season 4 Episode 2 You Smell Like Dinner

"You Smell Like Dinner" is as frustrating as an episode can get, which is about where True Blood has been sitting for an entire season. My complaints are same as they have been (and the same could be said about Dexter). The conceit of the show--a story about vampires in a human world and vice versa--is by far the most interesting part of the show, and continues to be to interesting as the world is expanded. But the writers are always plugging in other characters into the episodes, characters who have nothing or little to do with vampires. What results is a show which builds up all this momentum and then slows to a crawl once its attention is diverted to the secondary characters that aren't nearly as interesting. Still, most of the plots are new and have some potential to grow, so we shouldn't count them out yet.

This problem is immediately evident in Jason showing up at the beginning of the episode, tied to a bed post, before Felton shows up. The plot soon goes to a wacky place with Crystal, hopped up on V, showing up to be crazy. And the final twist? Felton and Crystal want a baby but can't, so they're turning Jason into a werepanther and then Crystal can have his child. WTF. Hopefully, this doesn't turn into another season-long tied to the bed plot a la Tara from last season. But it seems like the writers are already rehashing things, like Andy's V addiction which is awfully similar to previous seasons' V addictions.

Arlene goes crazy about her baby for the fiftieth time and does her usual frantic act. Until the baby actually does something obvious (the blood vessel popping could have been a coincidence), this plot will be the weakest. Arlene has been doing the same thing for a season now and it's high time something actually changed.

Likewise, Jessica is still doing her thing, trying to stay with Hoyt and manage her cravings while dealing with her nature and the Light of Day nuts. When is she going to do awesome things like the other vampires? On the positive side, she crosses paths with Sookie, and their interactions reveal both to Sookie and the viewer that Bill was really messed up when she disappeared, while also showing us what Jessica thinks of Sookie. Finally, the writers intersect two plots in a meaningful manner--which is what they should be doing all the time when half the plots are very mediocre.

I'm not sure where I stand on Sam's plot so far, though I'll say I like it better than his plot last season which was all sorts of awful. While the idea of other shapeshifters getting together is intriguing and Luna seems interesting, nothing much has happened yet and there isn't indication where things are going. The return of Tommy is somewhat bothersome since he was such an unlikable character last season, but maybe he'll finally turn around.

Now onto the good stuff! The vampires and witches remain the most interesting part of the show, with the two sides crossing path. The witches are a danger, explains Bill, because they can raise the dead--and that means they can control vampires as well. Indeed, when Eric decides to deal with the coven, he drains Marnie, presumably killing her, before the other members do some spell which brings Marnie back, and she does her own spell which leaves Eric with no memory.

This is a good development in its own right since Eric's amnesia could bring about a change in character that makes him more appealing to Sookie. But the fact that the coven can hurt vampires is a big deal that has to be addressed immediately. There are several questions looming, notably how much the coven members know. Are all of them as well-versed as Marnie and the woman who took over? Are some of them only enthusiasts? Marnie remains an enigma, seemingly knowledgeable and wise, but maybe she's in a little too deep. Here's a screenshot of the woman she turned into for a brief moment, an indication she may not have full control over herself.

In a series of flashbacks, we learn how Bill came to be King of Louisiana and the general power structure of the vampire community. Nan, part of the American Vampire League, hired Bill to infiltrate the kings--I'm guessing the old vampires who were in charge for centuries. The League wanted a new, modern order and we see Nan lend Bill her special forces team to dispatch Sophie-Anne.

Although True Blood could use significant retooling (getting rid of several characters for starters), it's still early in the season and the plots are developing. At this point, we can't really call any plot a dud until they've been fleshed out a bit more. This may be optimistic, but I remember that half the plots from season three fizzled out midway through the season, so I'll keep a close eye on the plots this season.

Score: 8.9/10

Review - Breaking Bad Season 2 Episode 4 Down / 5 Breakage

"Down"

As Breaking Bad moves forward, the events with Tuco remain a major force, the consequences reverberating through each character. It is at this point when the show is its darkest and most powerful, when the character drama comes to the top, transcending drug dealing or cancer.

Up until "Down," almost everyone could sympathize with Walt for what he had to deal with--cancer, drugs, Tuco, pregnant wife, son with cerebral palsy. But here, we see what a real asshole Walt has become. He treats Jesse-once an equal partner--like crap, and expects his family to reciprocate to whatever he does. Walt wants everything to be fine, but in his self-centered world, other should respond to him, not the other way around. So, when he continually wants to do things with Skyler or Flynn (I guess I wouldn't want to be named after Walt either), they reject him and his bizarre behavior.

Skyler wants answers, and when Walt refuses to provide any, she becomes fed up. She eventually smokes some cigarettes--over the glaring eyes of the public--and we begin to lose a bit of sympathy with her as well. It's understandable what drove her to this place, but it still doesn't excuse her actions. In any case, Breaking Bad has never been about virtuous people always doing virtuous things, or even having characters act consistently, and Skyler's exemplifies this uneasy tension that exists for every character.

While Walt inadequately deals with his problems, Jesse hits rock bottom and practically has no options. His parents take their home back after seeing Jesse's lab, leaving their son out on the street. Jesse tries to room with a friend who is now married with a child, but finds himself woefully out of place, out again showing Jesse's descent from nice suburban kid to low-life junkie with no home. Then he tries to get back to his trailer and falls in a porta potty. He ends up in his trailer, doused in blue chemical and excrement, curled up on the floor with the gas mask and crying. It's truly a pathetic sight and Aaron Paul plays the role perfectly.

The burnt pink bear returns this week to be placed into an evidence bag. Now we know Walt's house is a crime scene, but we don't have any indication why. On another note, I know happens with the bear and it's simply brilliant whenever I think of  how Vince Gilligan planned everything.

Score: 9.6/10

"Breakage"

After dealing with the aftermath of Tuco for two episodes, Breaking Bad begins to move forward again, setting the table plot-wise. We see the beginnings of Walt and Jesse's drug operation, Hank getting a promotion, and a possible new character in Jesse's landlord. It makes for a episode that moves relatively fast, though without the tension of some previous episodes.

Jesse is very active in the episode and cobbles together a crew consisting of Badger, Skinny Peter, and Combo to sell the meth Walt is cooking. It goes fine for the most part, but Skinny Peter is robbed by Spooge and looses a thousand dollars, which angers Walt. Immediately, there are problems in this plan--people can steal from them and they don't exactly have the muscle Tuco had. Walt poses a solution at the end, handing a gun to Jesse to deal with the problem. Along with potential thieves, the operation is in danger of DEA scrutiny, as the DEA is already focusing on Heisenberg, blue meth, and whoever Tuco's replacement will be.

Hank has gotten a lot to do this season, and we see more cracks in his armor. He is having panic attacks over Tuco, and being assigned to a border taskforce has him on edge. In a way, Hank is a mirror of Walt. In his private life with his family and friends, Walt is the poor guy with cancer who is timid and mild. But in his work life--and in his mind--Walt is tough and unforgiving. On the other hand, Hank is the tough guy with family and friends, but is dreadfully scared in his mind and when he is by himself.

On top of the pink bear mystery, we see some illegals at the beginning of the episode find Tuco's grill in what appears to be the Rio Grande. This mystery is solved soon enough, though, when we see Hank toss the grill into the river at the end of the episode.

RIP Kim Manners, one of the great television directors.

Score: 9.2/10

Review - Chaos Season 1 Episode 11 Deep Cover Band

I haven't been reviewing Chaos lately, but I've still been watching and my thoughts are generally the same as they were. I wanted to comment on "Deep Cover Band" because the ODS's behavior at the beginning of the episode disturbed me a bit. The team goes to pick up Gallo, but he runs outside and gets on a scooter. While this is happening, Casey and Billy are happily sitting back, allowing Gallo to drive off and only giving chase later. The result is Gallo flying off a bridge into water, and he's presumed dead. Even more nonchalantly, the team assumes he is dead and moves on.

It's disturbing how little they care about Gallo. From the way the back entrance, their car, and the scooter were positioned, Billy and Casey could easily have stopped him--Michael and Rick could have given chase as well--but chose not to for whatever reason. After Gallo falls into the water, they don't care to search for him or look to see if the police recovered the body, jumping to the easy conclusion. The sad part about this is that Gallo is no different from the ODS. He is an American, a CIA operative placed in a dangerous position to help the country. But instead of saving him, the ODS makes a mockery out of him and treat him as badly as a criminal.

Of course, Gallo turns up alive in the end and this whole thing becomes a big plot device for Gallo to appear to die. Still, in the process of doing so, it makes the ODS seem like callous, unfeeling people.

Score: 7.5/10

Review - Suits Season 1 Episode 2 Errors and Omissions

Suits takes an interesting turn from the usual USA drama in that the second episode continues to focus on office politics. Normally, we'd see a subsidence in meaningful character interactions in order to focus on the procedural part of the show. While we do have a case--some squabbling over a patent--it's clearly not the center of the episode. Instead, the case is used to put Mike in a difficult position as he tries to appease Harvey and deal with Lewis, who is basically the stereotypical jackass. My only concern is whether the writers can keep this up for an entire season, but so far, it looks like the show has more meat on it than expected.

Score: 8.7/10

Review - Burn Notice Season 5 Episode 2 Bloodlines

While "Bloodlines" has plenty of good things working for it, it's obviously clear throughout the episode that the writers have to come up with major contrivances in order to fit the structure of Burn Notice. The case this week is brought to Michael by Jesse, whose role is becoming clearer, and the Yakuza gangster is quickly captured by Jesse, Michael, Sam, and Fi. But then Maddie comes and she gets involved, altering the episode into one about Maddie and Michael, as Michael is forced to yell and hit his mother, which opens up lots of old wounds.

The thing is, it's mostly unnecessary. The lines of dialogue keep pointing us in a certain direction--Maddie has to tend to the gangster's wounds, she has to go back their and earn his trust, Michael has to yell at her and hit her--without providing any alternatives. We've seen numerous interrogations on Burn Notice through the years and it's hard for me to imagine why the scenario presented would force Michael and Maddie in that difficult position.

But since the writers went down that path, it gives Sharon Gless the material she deserves as Maddie struggles to deal with Michael's disposition and her deceased huband's memory. Still, I was constantly distracted by the all contrivances to enjoy it as much as I could have, but I guess that's just me.

Score: 8.5/10

Review - Wilfred Season 1 Episode 2 Trust

At this point, there isn't too much to say about Wilfred. "Trust," the second episode of the show doesn't introduce anything groundbreaking, but remains fun nonetheless. Ryan and Wilfred engage in a series of lies as they go around town to the beach or to the vet. The last part of the episode turns a little weird when Wilfred, almost out from the anesthetic, whispers that Jenna has a dick, which sends Ryan into a tizzy. Of course, Wilfred's lines are a manifestation of Ryan's mind which reinforces the idea that Ryan sabotages himself purposely. And what Wilfred really meant? Jenna has a dick boyfriend.

Score: 8.6/10