Oh man. If anyone had doubts about Terra Nova last week, "Instinct" only added to them. After all the money and time Fox put into the show, it's disheartening to see what came out. Now that the super-expensive budget is gone, the show can't hide behind flashy dinosaurs and a promising premise. The writers have to start writing scripts worthy of the hype. At this point they're not--not even close.
"Instinct" is as generic as it comes, starting from the plot--the flying reptile attacks. This could have been interesting. Maybe Taylor knows more than he shows, maybe there are secrets no one knows about. Nope. It's a generic grappling with nature plot. Terra Nova is on top of the reptiles' breeding ground. Of course, everyone can figure out what happens next--science into happy ending (and we don't even get to see the action described by Taylor). Somehow the writers thought this wasn't boring.
This is such a rote topic that it's amazing how the writers would follow through on something done a billion times before. The episode could have been set in the 21st century with birds replacing the reptiles, and the plot would work exactly the same, only without the cool interfaces. The writers make no attempt to draw out the uniqueness of Terra Nova and problems that could beset people millions of years in the past.
Lastly, the family "drama" is about as stale as this week's plot. Apparently, there's this other doctor who once dated Elisabeth and Jim surmises that he was the one who requested she come. But the possibility of anything bad happening soon is dispelled quickly as Elisabeth is perfectly happy with Jim. The writers basically introduce a stock "trouble character" without any of the trouble.
The more I think the more astounded I am at how the writers bungled the show. They had plenty of time to refine their scripts, and rewrite them even. But what we have in the second week already is lazy writing and no interesting ideas. They really thought The Birds: Dino Edition was a good idea?
Score: 7.4/10
Monday, October 3, 2011
Review - House Season 8 Episode 1 Twenty Vicodin
Set entirely in a prison setting, "Twenty Vicodin" is immediately reminiscent of the sixth season premiere ""Broken," set entirely in a psych hospital. The comparisons end there, however. Beyond the expect prison trimmings, "Twenty Vicodin" is a typical House episode, a medical procedural in prison.
It plays out as one may expect and nothing has really changed. House is still House, perceptive as ever. He's actually decided to stop doing medicine, to study physics instead, but obviously that's not going to happen. Another medical mystery draws him into this world and that's that. Then there's the pretty, bright-eyed female doctor, played by Odette Yustman. She doesn't like working at the hospital--until House shows up and does his thing.
Score: 8.1/10
It plays out as one may expect and nothing has really changed. House is still House, perceptive as ever. He's actually decided to stop doing medicine, to study physics instead, but obviously that's not going to happen. Another medical mystery draws him into this world and that's that. Then there's the pretty, bright-eyed female doctor, played by Odette Yustman. She doesn't like working at the hospital--until House shows up and does his thing.
Score: 8.1/10
Review - How I Met Your Mother Season 7 Episode 4 The Stinson Missile Crisis
"The Stinson Missile Crisis" has a slightly different format than regular episodes, with Robin narrating the story to a court-appointed therapist, but it didn't feel like something that enhanced the episode too much. There's some plot about Lily's baby and Ted tagging along, and Robin wanting Barney back but making sure he's happy. Mainly, the episode is a showcase for the various tricks Barney uses on women. Most of them are funny, but we've seen so many at this point that the episode felt like overkill. The cutaways take away minutes which could have been spent developing more plot or something more substantial.
Score: 8.3/10
Score: 8.3/10
Review - Pan Am Season 1 Episode 1 We'll Always Have Paris
Following the flashy pilot, "We'll Always Have Paris" comes off a little flat. There is not the bubbly attitude that drove the first half of the pilot nor the novelty of a new show. The episode revisits two things hanging from the pilot and wraps them up pretty succinctly. Kate and Laura come to terms with their mother--with some on the nose dialogue about them needing each other--and we learn that Bridgette was made during an assignment and is being sent to Kansas City.
I was somewhat confused by Christina Ricci not being the most prominent in the pilot, but she got a big chunk in this episode so it seems ABC did not just use her for the name. The problem is, her plot isn't that good. Basically , Maggie makes it known to Ted that stewardesses shouldn't be touched like she was, and the indignant, over the top tone of the dialogue was a little unsettling,
Score: 8.4/10
I was somewhat confused by Christina Ricci not being the most prominent in the pilot, but she got a big chunk in this episode so it seems ABC did not just use her for the name. The problem is, her plot isn't that good. Basically , Maggie makes it known to Ted that stewardesses shouldn't be touched like she was, and the indignant, over the top tone of the dialogue was a little unsettling,
Score: 8.4/10
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Review - Breaking Bad Season 4 Episode 12 End Times
After a string of jaw-dropping Breaking Bad episodes, the explosiveness and tension of "End Times" shouldn't have been a surprise. But it was. Just when you think Breaking Bad has no more gears, nothing left in the tank, it busts out with a series of unexpected twists. I guess you could say Breaking Bad is like Gus, always 10 moves ahead.
The first half of the episode is spent on Walt's funeral march. Everyone in the know--Walt, Skyler, Saul--have conceded that Walt is pretty much a goner. At the same time, Gomez checks out the laundry and finds nothing, but it obviously adds to the notion that Walt is at the center of Gus's problems. Even more depressing, Walt spins his gun and it points towards him, spins it again and it points towards him. But he spins it once more and the gun finally points away, towards a pot instead. Who is the pot?
The second half of the episode hits a level of ballsiness as Brock is in the hospital, ill from something unknown. I was a little confused at first until I remembered reading how the ricin cigarette would play an important role later on, and indeed it did. This spurs Jesse to action, confronting Walt. After all, Walt was the only other person who knew about the cigarette. Jesse pulls Walt's gun on him and is prepared to shoot. In yet another amazing speech/plea, Walt sets out the compelling case that it was not him but Gus who poisoned Brock. Yes, Bryan Cranston is fucking good.
Jesse goes from wanting Walt dead to wanting Gus dead, and a plan is set in motion. Jesse lures Gus to the hospital while Walt puts a bomb in his car. Gus gets closer and closer to the car, Walt looks through his binoculars, preparing to push the button. But Gus stops, looks around, and backs away. Somehow, Gus has enough instinct to realize something is wrong. This should be the end of the road for Walt, the last ditch attempt having failed.
Okay, so I have some complains/hesitations about this episode, or more specifically the ricin. Gus finding out about the ricin, poisoning Brock with it, and expecting Jesse to kill Walt sounds a little too far-fetched. Walt made a compelling case to Jesse while his life was on the line, but the scheme sounds awfully convoluted once you look past Bryan Cranston's persuasiveness. It seems too much like a Rube Goldberg plot where a series of events starting from an precise beginning leads to a precise ending. Maybe there will be a better explanation next week when the dust settles.
With the season finale next week and then a whole season after that, Breaking Bad still has plenty of story left to tell. But the noose tightens around Walt and it seems more and more improbably that he'll ever get out of Gus's grasp. Even if Walt does not, the season finale promises to be a great episode, with all the plots and schemes converging.
Score: 9.5/10
The first half of the episode is spent on Walt's funeral march. Everyone in the know--Walt, Skyler, Saul--have conceded that Walt is pretty much a goner. At the same time, Gomez checks out the laundry and finds nothing, but it obviously adds to the notion that Walt is at the center of Gus's problems. Even more depressing, Walt spins his gun and it points towards him, spins it again and it points towards him. But he spins it once more and the gun finally points away, towards a pot instead. Who is the pot?
The second half of the episode hits a level of ballsiness as Brock is in the hospital, ill from something unknown. I was a little confused at first until I remembered reading how the ricin cigarette would play an important role later on, and indeed it did. This spurs Jesse to action, confronting Walt. After all, Walt was the only other person who knew about the cigarette. Jesse pulls Walt's gun on him and is prepared to shoot. In yet another amazing speech/plea, Walt sets out the compelling case that it was not him but Gus who poisoned Brock. Yes, Bryan Cranston is fucking good.
Jesse goes from wanting Walt dead to wanting Gus dead, and a plan is set in motion. Jesse lures Gus to the hospital while Walt puts a bomb in his car. Gus gets closer and closer to the car, Walt looks through his binoculars, preparing to push the button. But Gus stops, looks around, and backs away. Somehow, Gus has enough instinct to realize something is wrong. This should be the end of the road for Walt, the last ditch attempt having failed.
Okay, so I have some complains/hesitations about this episode, or more specifically the ricin. Gus finding out about the ricin, poisoning Brock with it, and expecting Jesse to kill Walt sounds a little too far-fetched. Walt made a compelling case to Jesse while his life was on the line, but the scheme sounds awfully convoluted once you look past Bryan Cranston's persuasiveness. It seems too much like a Rube Goldberg plot where a series of events starting from an precise beginning leads to a precise ending. Maybe there will be a better explanation next week when the dust settles.
With the season finale next week and then a whole season after that, Breaking Bad still has plenty of story left to tell. But the noose tightens around Walt and it seems more and more improbably that he'll ever get out of Gus's grasp. Even if Walt does not, the season finale promises to be a great episode, with all the plots and schemes converging.
Score: 9.5/10
Review - The Good Wife Season 3 Episode 2 The Death Zone
Alicia is currently in the middle of many things and being pulled from every direction. First, there's her thing with Will which would be a problem if came into the open. This then leads to Alicia splitting with Peter, the reason Diane suspects for Peter wanting an audit. Will agrees with Diane at the end of the episode that they'll get rid of Alicia if she works against their interests, but this issue clearly isn't that simple. At home, Alicia has to assuage her children's worries about the situation while keeping the truth from them. Again, there's no easy answer to these problems.
The case of the week was basically a British invasion with foreign laws and customs, creating a new minefield which proved to be humorous The ending of the case did feel hammy, though, with the Twitter usage and confession, but it did feel kind of appropriate what with all the seemingly silly legal hoops beforehand.
Kalinda and Eli meet for what Kalinda says is the first time, and it's not surprise that the two savviest characters on the show work well together. I'm looking forward to seeing them work together the next time which I'm sure will be interesting. Eli sure seemed to remember Kalinda from somewhere, so I'm guessing he'll remember eventually and begin to connect the dots regarding Alicia's mindset.
Score: 8.8/10
The case of the week was basically a British invasion with foreign laws and customs, creating a new minefield which proved to be humorous The ending of the case did feel hammy, though, with the Twitter usage and confession, but it did feel kind of appropriate what with all the seemingly silly legal hoops beforehand.
Kalinda and Eli meet for what Kalinda says is the first time, and it's not surprise that the two savviest characters on the show work well together. I'm looking forward to seeing them work together the next time which I'm sure will be interesting. Eli sure seemed to remember Kalinda from somewhere, so I'm guessing he'll remember eventually and begin to connect the dots regarding Alicia's mindset.
Score: 8.8/10
Review - Homeland Season 1 Episode 1 Pilot
Of all the pilots this fall, Homeland is the most solid and well-rounded. That may be understating it a bit. Every aspect of the show is not only solid but also strong. Starting with the acting by Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison and Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody, there are hardly any weaknesses to the pilot. Danes and Lewis are both superb in the numerous silent scenes, saying nothing but expressing plenty.
This idea of silence works brilliantly with the show's premise. People can say things, tell everyone how they are fine, but it may all be lies. In the silent moments, however, when no one is there, something comes out that cannot be obscured. Carrie bugs Brody's house and proceeds to examine what he says and does. Later, she interrogates him but gets nothing useful. After, she catches him in a series of lies only to realize he isn't up to anything--yet. What ultimately tips her off is what he's doing with his hands while on television, signaling something to the world. One need not express their intent to commit terrorism for terrorism to occur.
And as Carrie looks at Brody through hazy, illegal cameras, the audience sees Carrie in all her weaknesses through the lens of the television. Carrie is not the typical protagonist. She has many problems and she comes off a little devious as we see her jump to sex both with her boss (through his suggestion she broke his marriage) and with Saul. While Carrie is aware of her problems, her mood swings can quickly override her better judgment. Danes shines in these moments, and we immediately see Carrie on the edge, not quite right, but also trying to hang on.
The other side of Homeland is Brody's family, and while it's nowhere near exciting as Carrie digging into Brody's activities, Morena Baccarin plays her role as Brody's wife well. Love triangles are a well-worn television trope, but in the context of a soldier returning home after 8 years, it fits perfectly.
Built into Homeland's premise is an exploration into the post-9/11 intelligence world. There is overstep of civil liberties, of course, but also more ambiguous questions throughout the episode. This paranoia taken on by Carrie reflects the haziness of identity in this age. She questions who Brody is--whether he is still the same person he is--and at the same time, the viewer has to question who Carrie is--whether her psychological condition has thrown her off the edge and whether we can trust her judgment. These two different people--the man imprisoned for years and woman who missed the signs of 9/11--share the same murkiness that drives the show ahead.
Score: 9.4/10
This idea of silence works brilliantly with the show's premise. People can say things, tell everyone how they are fine, but it may all be lies. In the silent moments, however, when no one is there, something comes out that cannot be obscured. Carrie bugs Brody's house and proceeds to examine what he says and does. Later, she interrogates him but gets nothing useful. After, she catches him in a series of lies only to realize he isn't up to anything--yet. What ultimately tips her off is what he's doing with his hands while on television, signaling something to the world. One need not express their intent to commit terrorism for terrorism to occur.
And as Carrie looks at Brody through hazy, illegal cameras, the audience sees Carrie in all her weaknesses through the lens of the television. Carrie is not the typical protagonist. She has many problems and she comes off a little devious as we see her jump to sex both with her boss (through his suggestion she broke his marriage) and with Saul. While Carrie is aware of her problems, her mood swings can quickly override her better judgment. Danes shines in these moments, and we immediately see Carrie on the edge, not quite right, but also trying to hang on.
The other side of Homeland is Brody's family, and while it's nowhere near exciting as Carrie digging into Brody's activities, Morena Baccarin plays her role as Brody's wife well. Love triangles are a well-worn television trope, but in the context of a soldier returning home after 8 years, it fits perfectly.
Built into Homeland's premise is an exploration into the post-9/11 intelligence world. There is overstep of civil liberties, of course, but also more ambiguous questions throughout the episode. This paranoia taken on by Carrie reflects the haziness of identity in this age. She questions who Brody is--whether he is still the same person he is--and at the same time, the viewer has to question who Carrie is--whether her psychological condition has thrown her off the edge and whether we can trust her judgment. These two different people--the man imprisoned for years and woman who missed the signs of 9/11--share the same murkiness that drives the show ahead.
Score: 9.4/10
Review - Dexter Season 6 Episode 1 Those Kinds of Things
After five seasons of Dexter, viewers know the drill. Dexter needs to kill, so he spends the episode tracking a bad guy down while navigating around his work and personal life. Meanwhile, yet another serial killer murders people so Miami Metro is hard at work cracking the case. And in between this, various relationship dramas play out among the characters not named Dexter, always in the most vapid, undeserving ways.
So for those who enjoyed the previous seasons--the false sense of dread, the multiple fake outs, the serial killer per season, Dexter victim per episode--nothing has changed. Dexter is simply a show which is going nowhere. Certainly, the writers could take gambles with the marvelous concept they have, but they refuse to even after years of maintaining the status quo. Alas, I keep watching not for plot but for Michael C. Hall, and part of me always reminds me that the show could be so much more.
"Those Kinds of Things" is as standard as it gets. Dexter goes to his high school reunion to kill a former classmate while traversing this bizarre world where high school status meant nothing. There are some fun moments sprinkled in there, offsetting the expectedness of the kill. Then there's the rest of the episode--LaGuerta having divorced Batista and been promoted, Quinn about to propose to Deb before a guy shoots up the restaurant--which is as uninteresting as the filler content as ever been. On the plus side, there are two serial killers this season, played by Edward James Olmos and Colin Hanks. Their technique, placing young snakes into bodies, is very grisly, so it's somewhat better than the generic slasher serial killer.
Thematically, this season is on far shakier ground than the previous season, with an emphasis on religion than someone who can accept Dexter's dark passenger. The posters for the sixth season portray Dexter as an avenging angel, and it's a dumb idea, as if Dexter, after five seasons, magically stumbled upon religion and decided to apply it to his extracurricular activities.
Score: 8.5/10
So for those who enjoyed the previous seasons--the false sense of dread, the multiple fake outs, the serial killer per season, Dexter victim per episode--nothing has changed. Dexter is simply a show which is going nowhere. Certainly, the writers could take gambles with the marvelous concept they have, but they refuse to even after years of maintaining the status quo. Alas, I keep watching not for plot but for Michael C. Hall, and part of me always reminds me that the show could be so much more.
"Those Kinds of Things" is as standard as it gets. Dexter goes to his high school reunion to kill a former classmate while traversing this bizarre world where high school status meant nothing. There are some fun moments sprinkled in there, offsetting the expectedness of the kill. Then there's the rest of the episode--LaGuerta having divorced Batista and been promoted, Quinn about to propose to Deb before a guy shoots up the restaurant--which is as uninteresting as the filler content as ever been. On the plus side, there are two serial killers this season, played by Edward James Olmos and Colin Hanks. Their technique, placing young snakes into bodies, is very grisly, so it's somewhat better than the generic slasher serial killer.
Thematically, this season is on far shakier ground than the previous season, with an emphasis on religion than someone who can accept Dexter's dark passenger. The posters for the sixth season portray Dexter as an avenging angel, and it's a dumb idea, as if Dexter, after five seasons, magically stumbled upon religion and decided to apply it to his extracurricular activities.
Score: 8.5/10
Preview of Week 10/2/11 - 10/8/11
Dexter - Showtime, Sunday, October 2, 9:00pm ET
More killing, more killers, more relationship drama. Same ol' Dexter is back.
Homeland - Showtime, Sunday, October 2, 10:00pm ET
Homeland promises mystery, intrigue, and a glimpse at the post-9/11 intelligence world, and the pilot certainly delivers.
House - FOX, Monday, October 3, 9:00pm ET
With Cuddy gone and this being the last season, I suppose it won't hurt too much to watch House on its last legs, even if there's nothing original left in it.
American Horror Story - FX, Wednesday, October 5, 10:00pm ET
Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk created the show so I'm worried how everything will turn out. Hopefully they let Tim Minear and James Wong do the writing.
Sanctuary - Syfy, Friday, October 7, 10:00pm ET
It's kind of annoying how the writers keep rotating around "the greatest threat to humanity" in different forms each season, but I'll be watching regardless.
More killing, more killers, more relationship drama. Same ol' Dexter is back.
Homeland - Showtime, Sunday, October 2, 10:00pm ET
Homeland promises mystery, intrigue, and a glimpse at the post-9/11 intelligence world, and the pilot certainly delivers.
House - FOX, Monday, October 3, 9:00pm ET
With Cuddy gone and this being the last season, I suppose it won't hurt too much to watch House on its last legs, even if there's nothing original left in it.
American Horror Story - FX, Wednesday, October 5, 10:00pm ET
Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk created the show so I'm worried how everything will turn out. Hopefully they let Tim Minear and James Wong do the writing.
Sanctuary - Syfy, Friday, October 7, 10:00pm ET
It's kind of annoying how the writers keep rotating around "the greatest threat to humanity" in different forms each season, but I'll be watching regardless.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Review - Supernatural Season 7 Episode 2 Hello, Cruel World
My memory is a little sketchy, but the way these episodes have been playing out, this is the first time Supernatural will have four continuous episodes, beginning from the sixth season finale. While I don't think this serialization will last too much longer, it's interesting to see the writers play around with the cliffhangers. It adds a sense of doom, as the Winchesters went from dealing to crazed Castiel to Leviathan to Lucifer in Sam's head in quick succession.
The episode ends on a bold note--Bobby possibly dead, Sam seizing, and both Sam and Dean heading to the hospital where the Leviathans are having a party. Yeah, pretty terrible circumstances.
The Leviathans are dangerous and evil enough, but they're pretty generic adversaries. We've already see creatures inhabiting bodies plenty of times in the past and the black stuff easily recalls black oil from The X-Files. I'd like to see more originality from the writers regarding the Leviathans.
Score: 8.9/10
The episode ends on a bold note--Bobby possibly dead, Sam seizing, and both Sam and Dean heading to the hospital where the Leviathans are having a party. Yeah, pretty terrible circumstances.
The Leviathans are dangerous and evil enough, but they're pretty generic adversaries. We've already see creatures inhabiting bodies plenty of times in the past and the black stuff easily recalls black oil from The X-Files. I'd like to see more originality from the writers regarding the Leviathans.
Score: 8.9/10
Review - Fringe Season 4 Episode 2 One Night in October
After a shaky start to the season last week, Fringe gets back on track with a fascinating episode highlighting the major plot points and problems going ahead. I had my doubts, but I'm on board and expecting a great final season (baring any ratings miracles).
"One Night in October" ties everything together with the case of the week--Olivia bringing a professor to the other world in order to profile his counterpart, a serial killer. This interesting reversal hinges on the fact that the professor had a woman in his life, Marjorie, who helped him while the killer did not. Bringing the two worlds together, we see some engrossing interactions with the doubles--both between the professor and the serial killer, and the two Olivias who seem to be warming to each other (or at least they understand each other better).
Paralleling the extraction of the memory of Marjorie, Peter has been erased from everyone's minds. But as Broyles suggest, though the memory may be erased, they may also leave an indelible mark on the person. Indeed, this looks to be true, as every character indicates they have something missing. Walter, however, tries to ignore this by drowning himself in music, blocking out Peter's cries.
Score: 9.2/10
"One Night in October" ties everything together with the case of the week--Olivia bringing a professor to the other world in order to profile his counterpart, a serial killer. This interesting reversal hinges on the fact that the professor had a woman in his life, Marjorie, who helped him while the killer did not. Bringing the two worlds together, we see some engrossing interactions with the doubles--both between the professor and the serial killer, and the two Olivias who seem to be warming to each other (or at least they understand each other better).
Paralleling the extraction of the memory of Marjorie, Peter has been erased from everyone's minds. But as Broyles suggest, though the memory may be erased, they may also leave an indelible mark on the person. Indeed, this looks to be true, as every character indicates they have something missing. Walter, however, tries to ignore this by drowning himself in music, blocking out Peter's cries.
Score: 9.2/10
