Supernatural: Abandon All Hope

Crowley: "What if I give you this thing, and you go kill the Devil?"

With an episode title like "Abandon All Hope", you know it's not going to end well. And sure enough, it didn't end well.

The evening at Bobby's house before Carthage was almost cruel. Let's show them having a lovely evening and even do a group photo before we tear them apart forever, shall we? Maybe Jo should have said yes to Dean, but that would have been the lazy writer's way out. Her death was actually more poignant without a last-night-on-Earth tumble; we'll never know if Dean and Jo might have been happy together. In a way, Jo has always been Dean's girl, even though she never was, the one he probably would have ended up with if their lives had been normal.

Jo was a victim of hellhounds, just like Dean. I bet that was a deliberate emotional choice by the writers. And I completely understand why Ellen couldn't leave her daughter to die alone. At least Jo and Ellen knew for certain that there is an afterlife, that God and angels exist, unlike the rest of us in the real world. Jo wanted so badly to be a hunter, to make a difference. If the Colt had worked, she would have been responsible for taking out the Devil, something worth dying for. I keep feeling like they died for nothing. Even though they did save the Winchesters.

Ellen and Jo were a family of hunters who just died together. Is this a preview of the end for Dean and Sam? Lucifer referred to Detroit, six months from now, as if it were destined to be. Sam didn't seem at all tempted, but maybe that was because Dean was there. That, and the fresh shock of losing Ellen and Jo. Where will Sam's mind be in six months, though?

I loved Crowley, the boss of the Crossroads Demons. As he was going on about Lucifer targeting demons after destroying the humans, Spike's Manchester United speech was running through my head. What's Crowley's real motivation? Did he know the Colt wouldn't work? Probably not. Lucifer did indeed kill all those demons at the end as if he cared nothing about them, so Crowley might have been on the level, as well as right. Please bring him back. I want Mark A. Sheppard to guest star in every show I watch. He nearly has already.

Lucifer said that there are only five things in creation that the Colt can't kill. God and the archangels? Can the Colt kill Death, the pale rider, king of the reapers? I wonder if, by things, Lucifer meant types of beings. As in the Colt can't kill God, archangels, and three other things? I'm parsing Lucifer. I must be stopped.

Bits and pieces:

-- Castiel got to be a real bad ass. When he couldn't yank Meg's demon, he literally tossed her into the fire and walked all over her. Two cliches in one. I also loved Ellen trying to outdrink him at the party.

-- "Women and children first." Lucifer had killed all the women and children of Carthage. That also applied to Ellen and Jo, if you think about it, because it's always the women who die in this show, isn't it?

-- Bobby in his wheelchair doing research over the phone reminded me of the character Lifeguard that Jim Byrnes played in "Wiseguy."

-- As Crowley was waiting for the Winchesters, he was watching films of Hitler while listening to "Everybody Plays the Fool." :)

-- That poor guy Nick who said yes to Lucifer has probably realized that he made a bad decision, if he's still conscious in there. Mark Pellegrino did a good job. It's not easy playing the devil.

-- This week, Carthage, Missouri. Did you notice the signs? "Anti-God is Anti-American." "Jesus Saves." Apocalypse now.

-- We're going to see the pale rider in the flesh? I wonder whom they'll cast?

-- This was our mid-season cliffhanger. The next episode airs January 19.

Quotes:

Crowley: "You can cling to six decades of deep-seated homophobia, or give it up and get a complete bailout of your bank's ridiculous incompetence."
Loved the kiss. It wasn't just a quick smack. It was like Crowley was doing it slowly on purpose because the banker was so homophobic.

Castiel: "The demon Crowley is making a deal. Even as we speak, it's... going down."
Dean: "Going down? Okay, Huggy Bear, just don't lose him."

Jo: "Sweetheart, if this is our last night on Earth, I'm going to spend it with a little thing I call self-respect."
Dean: "If you're into that kind of thing."

Bobby: "The devil's in the details, Dean."

Jo: "Mom, this might literally be your last chance to treat me like an adult. You might want to take it."

Dean: "See you on the other side. Probably sooner than later."
Jo: "Make it later."

I'm not ashamed to say I cried through the second half of this episode. Four out of four stars,

Billie

All of my Supernatural reviews are archived here.
Screencap credit: Oxoniensis Screencaps
(Season 5, episode 10)

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The Twilight Saga: New Moon

I should probably start with the fact that I am a fan of the book series. While I appreciate the negativity some reviewers have, they might be coming into it from a very different point of view. In fact, several of them have stated that this movie may be critic-proof. Whatever your feelings for the series, they are not likely to be changed after viewing this entry.

I thought this was a very successful adaptation. It was almost as if the black and white pages were torn from the book and turned into moving shades of brown and green, with a hint of blood red. New Moon is far closer to the source material than Twilight. Scenes were not shifted around or re-written. Of course, several things were removed or truncated to accommodate the different format, and some of the character moments were lost because of this. Yet I can't fault a director or screenwriter for trimming down and streamlining the novel.

The main problem with an adaptation of this series in particular is the first person point of view. All of the stories are told through Bella's eyes, and it paints a very one-sided picture of the events. In the first movie, this was handled with a sometimes jarring and out of place narration. In New Moon, this narration is handled with a simple plot device: Bella is writing letters to an absent friend explaining everything that she felt. It is handled very well, and fits within the scope of the picture perfectly.

Additionally in Twilight, the characters seemed a little off. Maybe it was performance or writing, but they seemed almost broken. In New Moon, they seemed just right, and in a couple places they were improved. The performances are a lot smoother and more mature. The biggest change is the addition of much needed chemistry, woefully absent from the first film, that finally made the romance believable.

If nothing else but those two things were fixed, I would've been happy. But there was a lot more to like -- such as the introduction of two major sets of characters. Both were handled well and brought with them a level of complexity that wasn't in the first movie. The first of these character groups is the wolf pack. Although they didn't get as much screen time as they did in the novel, they were a welcome change of pace and atmosphere and a stark contrast to the vampires, with their rustic and tribal feel. Taylor Launter (Jacob) was integral to the plot and pulled off a fairly convincing transition halfway through the movie. Although he wasn't exactly like the physical description of the character in the book, he managed to make him likable and he had a real chemistry with Kristen Stewart (Bella).

The Volturi were cast nearly spot on, and were another major contrast to the vampires we have come to know. The Cullens suddenly felt warm and alive in comparison, which is important to the series and illustrates how different they really are. Michael Sheen (Aro) was perfect as the leader of the Volturi. He brought the character to life and even managed to find creepy humor in some of his more eccentric tendencies. Dakota Fanning (Jane) had very little to do but was decent as the vindictive, child-like enforcer of the Volturi. The rest kind of fell into the background, but they did bring atmosphere to the climax of the movie.

The real star of the movie is Kristen Stewart, who was so much improved from the first movie that it almost felt like a different actress had taken her place. She felt mature, yet insecure and vulnerable, strong but fragile, and for the first time she felt like a woman that both of her suitors would be interested in. Everything was far more polished, with real action and set pieces. The director used actual transitions between scenes and used the camera to paint beautiful scene layouts. Although the effects were spotty in places when the first movie is taken into consideration, as well as plenty of other vampire and werewolf movies, they were still rather phenomenal. The wolves were mostly convincing (they did look a little fake at times), but the vampire effects were beautiful. The effects made even their simple actions look graceful, which was exactly as the books described.

Finally, there were the details, little things that were brought in because of their value to the series as a whole rather than serving this movie specifically. Nuances like that are the reason why this movie felt so satisfying. I guess my point is the movie captured the heart of the book, and translated it to the screen.

I don't know if I can recommend this movie to anyone who isn't already interested in it. But I can say it was a solid improvement over the first installment, and was very true to the source material. I do have to admit this book is my least favorite in the series, and the entire middle section dragged a little when I read it. But the movie took the time to properly introduce a dynamic new aspect to the series and made something I was partially dreading fun. So I can say to any Twilight fan that this was much better than I could've expected, but it is very much a movie for the fans.

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NewsFlash: Chuck Premiere Date

Great news, Chuck fans. NBC has (finally) settled on a date for the third season premiere: January 10th. The weird part? That's a Sunday. Chuck is kicking off the season with a 2-hour premiere; regular episodes will air on Mondays at 8pm.


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NewsFlash: Lost returns in February

We finally have a date! And it's not going to run on Thursday!

According to the Sci-Fi Wire, Lost returns with a one-hour recap special at 8:00 ET/PT, and a two-hour season premiere at 9:00, on February 2 (Groundhog Day!), 2010. It will then air on Tuesdays at 9:00.

The cast list is intriguing. "Lost stars Naveen Andrews as Sayid, Nestor Carbonell as Richard Alpert, Emilie de Ravin as Claire, Michael Emerson as Ben, Jeff Fahey as Frank Lapidus, Matthew Fox as Jack, Jorge Garcia as Hurley, Josh Holloway as Sawyer, Daniel Dae Kim as Jin, Yunjin Kim as Sun, Ken Leung as Miles, Evangeline Lilly as Kate, Terry O'Quinn as Locke and Zuleikha Robinson as Ilana."

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Heroes: Brother's Keeper

So, let me see. Matt is officially dead, except he's not. Mohinder is officially dead, except he's not. Nathan is actually dead, except Sylar still thinks he's Nathan. Claire got frozen and dismantled, but she's just fine.

I enjoyed this episode. It was fun and somewhat exciting and it seemed to be going somewhere. I kept hoping we'd arrive -- that Sylar would take back his body, but not yet; they're going to drag this out awhile longer. Smart of Peter to touch Nathan/Sylar and suck up those powers again. Do you think we're finally going to get the massive Peter versus Sylar fight we didn't really get in season one? If we don't get it this season, we probably won't get it at all, because I seriously doubt Heroes is getting a fifth season.

Mohinder, whom I always sort of liked but must admit I didn't miss, was his old, obsessed, self-righteous self. Good for Hiro for stashing him out of the way in a padded cell. That'll teach Mohinder to show some gratitude when someone freaking saves his life, huh? Maybe that's why I haven't missed him.

But at least Hiro made me smile again. Tracy and Claire were oddly fun together; just two blond superwomen bonding over a bath, tea and a severed foot. I also liked the Nathan Peter Sylar Matt scene. And Samuel is finally turning into the massive threat we always assumed he'd be. It's just taking a bit too long.

All of my Heroes reviews, most of them longer than this, are archived here.
(Season 4, episode 9)

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V: A Bright New Day

I have to start this review with some provisos. I never saw the original V series and I love crappy, escapist sci-fi. I think that in recent years we have been spoilt by intelligent, well-acted, well thought out science fiction. V is not this. It is splashy, exotic and full of stolen threads from other sci-fi shows. That said, as I mentioned, I love crappy, escapist sci-fi, and there are a few interesting things that keep V interesting and watchable.

First, I love the obvious spin doctoring that goes on by the V's. They show how easy it is to turn the truth on its head, to fool people with false promises (with a few real ones thrown in) and to generally lie on a continuous basis but very convincingly. Someone in the blog comments mentioned that the original V was about what an attempted fascist takeover of the United States might look like. I think this modern version is following suit but this is the new face of fascism, a kinder, gentler, don't worry about the truth, actually don't worry about anything kind of fascism. I think the control of the media is also key here and I enjoyed watching the spin doctor, (journalist Chad) admire and then become wary of Anna as she takes spin doctoring to new heights with her turn-around of the grieving widow Mary Faulkner from figurehead of the protest against the V's to supporter. One of my favorite parts of this episode was watching Anna practice her emotional response to the widow, figuring out what would work best to turn the conversation to her favor.

On a more personal note, this show really creeps me out because I think I have already met some V's. You know, those really, really nice people who smile all the time. The ones that would stab you in the back and then apologize for messing up your clothes. Are they aliens or are we more lizard like than we would want to admit?

As in all good science fiction, the aliens are there to hold a mirror up to us and these creatures know us better than we know ourselves. We may be, as one V says, "naturally mistrusting," but it seems if you feed us the right line and give us a bit of technology most of us, even the bright lawyer ladies, are going to jump on your bandwagon. It is ham-handed in showing us how we easily we can be duped and how quickly we swallow half truths but the message is there and subtlety is not always required in primetime.

I agree with the other reviewers who talked about the clunky dialogue. This is accompanied by some pretty clunky plot devices. Some glaring issues for me were when Erica left our favorite priest in her home alone with access to an FBI database (not a great decision, I don’t care if he's a priest). Erica looking at the V's surveillance cameras and obviously being captured on film (isn’t somebody watching those surveillance thingys). And I spent almost 5 minutes worried about Dale coming after Erica (no worries, that issue got wrapped up in a much too clean bow).

The rip-offs from previous science fiction shows were pretty obvious. We are now dealing with some version of Star Trek's "borg" although the bliss piece is a nice touch and I swear the Cyrus guy was channeling Cypher from The Matrix – even the names are close. Perhaps this is a clever call out to the sci-fi fans rather than wholesale plagiarism.

On the positive side, we got to see Erica kick some ass as her FBI agent self. We got to see Alan Tudyk be very lizard-like and complain about how humans smell. And I should also mention that we have two strong female leads going head to head in a prime time science fiction show. Morena Baccarin and Elizabeth Mitchell continue to wow me with their acting capacity. So this show is really a very mixed bag. It can make you think one minute, and then go off the rails into bland primetime escapism.

I will keep watching because, as I said, I love this kind of crappy stuff (I grew up with the Original Star Trek, which was the originator of the ham-handed social message). Who knows? The writers may get better, and it looks like the teen heartthrob is going to be eaten or some version of that – worth staying tuned for.

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Smallville: Idol

Tell me again why there haven't been episodes centered around Lois this season until now?

We had Lois in therapy, which was just funny waiting to happen. We're finally exploring one of the big recurring themes in the Superman story -- Lois being caught between two completely different men who happen to be the same guy. And we even had Lois and Clark love scenes! Really! Can you believe it?

Points for having Lois literally hanging from a flagpole, a cliche brought to life. We had the dropped high heel from the Superman movie. We had Chloe covering Clark with the standard comic book back-up phone call (as in, Clark is standing right there with Lois when the Blur calls her on the phone). And I was pleased that we finally caught a glimpse of what happened to Lois at the end of last season. Just a glimpse. I want more.

And there were the wonder super twins, whoever they were (I'm sure they're important comic book characters I don't know) taking Clark's secret identity in vain and wreaking havoc around Metropolis -- but they were only trying to help.

Chloe managed to get even scarier while covering for Clark. She's tapping his cell phone, too?

Does Lois really tell Clark the color of her underwear every day?

All of my Smallville reviews are archived here.
Photo credit: Kryptonsite.
(Season 9, episode 8)

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Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars

NOTE TO U.S. VIEWERS: "The Waters of Mars" will premiere on BBC America on Saturday, 19th December at 9/8c.

Doctor: “Is this it? My death? Is it time?”

This was a real landmark episode. In terms of quality, it was head and shoulders above "Planet of the Dead". It was beautifully plotted, featured terrifying monsters and was thick with complex adult themes. Tonight, the Doctor attempted to change the rules of the game. Instead of being hampered by the constant restrictions of being a Time Lord, he tried to use his abilities to change an event fixed in time. Unfortunately, it all went wrong. People died. And despite his best intentions, the tenth Doctor moved one step closer to his own destruction.

Tonight's episode was a brooding, sometimes harrowing parable on the dangers of power. Events are spiralling out of control. The tenth Doctor has just two episodes left to live, and the haunting, all pervasive, spectre of his inevitable extinction is beginning to take its toll. He seems terrified by his own mortality. I did wonder at one point whether his metamorphosis into "Time Lord Victorious" was all part of some grand scheme to defy his own fate. If he can successfully change a fixed moment in time, without significant repercussions, then what's to stop him trying to change his own destiny? If the Time Lords were the custodians of time, and all that responsibility now rests solely upon his shoulders, then who is there to check his hand? The implications are potentially far reaching. If successful, would he be able to bring Rose back from her parallel Universe? Or even save his own people from annihilation?

Yet, despite the Doctor's irresponsible defiance of time, nothing changed. Or rather nothing appeared to change. Bowie Base One still blew up. But the details did change. Captain Adelaide Brooke was destined to die and she did die. But instead of dying on Mars, she died on Earth. The outcome was the same. The difference was, this time her death was the Doctor's fault.

But what a terrible moral dilemma to face. Would Donna, Rose or Martha (had they been there), have allowed him to just walk away? I very much doubt it. So morally he did the right thing (eventually). But realistically there was just no way he could stop the base from going nuclear. It was an event too encased in historical significance. So in the end, all he could do was appeal to his authority as Time Lord, before wrongly concluding that altering time was now firmly within his remit.

Unfortunately, it was this arrogance which precipitated disaster. He grossly overestimated his own ability to manipulate time, and ended up making an already impossible situation that much worse. One thing this episode really brought home was the Doctor's utter helplessness. He could literally do nothing to stop Bowie Base One from exploding. Which forced him into breaking the very laws he'd been born to protect. The question now remains: what exactly has the Doctor done? Did Brooke die and the time line snap back into place? Or have his actions caused untold damage elsewhere? Has the Doctor unwittingly contributed to reintroducing the Master back into time? And where is he now headed? What exactly was he saying “no" to in the episode's dying seconds?

I found most of the secondary characters a touch uninspiring. Not surprising really, as they were nothing more than cannon-fodder for the cracked mouthed nasties. But Captain Adelaide Brooke was as well rounded and real as they come. They wove a marvellous back story around her. The Daleks killing her parents should have tainted her views on both aliens and space exploration. But seeing that Dalek through the window -- rather than fuelling a desire for revenge -- instead inspired her. She saw beauty and hope in the stars and it drove her on to great things. And in the end it was Brooke who had the courage to rectify the Doctor's mistake. Afraid that history might be changed forever, she took her own life, and in the process preserved the integrity of the time stream; thus ensuring her granddaughter's place in history. She didn't see the Doctor as her saviour. She saw him as a self-appointed god, exercising powers of life and death, seemingly on a whim.

And we must surely heap praise upon Tennant's performance tonight. He was immense. He got across the Doctor's angst magnificently. For much of this episode he was impotent -- a mere bystander in a nightmare over which he had absolutely no control. But his inner conflict was plain to see. Particularly poignant was his slow walk back to the TARDIS... the screams of the dying crew ringing in his ears. And his sorrow at Adelaide's suicide was tangible, as was the dawning realization that he'd overstepped the mark, and that there would be a terrible price to pay. I teared up a little when Sigma Ood appeared. The Doctor looked so frightened... fearful that his time had come... that his mistake had somehow brought about his own end. And it was chilling to see him stood alone in the TARDIS, the cloister bell ringing in the background -- a harbinger of impending disaster.

But for a fleeting moment he shone. In full-on Time Lord mode he took control control of the situation, and his brilliance and daring-do saved them all. He embraced his destiny. He took on the responsibility of being the last existing Lord of Time, and for one glorious moment it even seemed possible that he could stave off his own demise. He was a force of nature. But in the final analysis, all he did was bring about Adelaide's death and start the countdown to his own regeneration. In Doctor Who Confidential (which followed immediately after this episode), Tennant made the comment that "The Waters of Mars" was a story which could only be told once. The reason why is obvious. There can only be one ending. And we're just two episodes away from seeing it.

Bit's and pieces:

-- This episode was dedicated to the memory of long time Classic Who producer, Barry Letts (1925-2009).

-- The Ice Warriors appeared several times during the Troughton/Pertwee era.

-- Would things burn on the surface of Mars?

-- Gadget reminded me of Johnny 5 from the movie Short Circuit. Except Gadget was as charmless as his operator, Roman Groom.

-- The TARDIS' cloister bell can be heard ringing in the dying moments of this episode. The cloister bell rings when the TARDIS and its inhabitants are in grave danger -- usually as the result of a time paradox or the clashing of alternate realities. It can be heard in "Time Crash", "The Sound of Drums", "Turn Left", "Logopolis", "Castrovalva" and "Resurrection of the Daleks".

-- Bowie Base One > David Bowie > Life on Mars.

-- This story was originally entitled "Red Christmas" and was supposed to be a Christmas Special; hence the snow and residual festive references.

-- They totally gypped us in the trailer for this episode. There were four knocks in the trailer. In the episode itself there were only three.

-- The last time the TARDIS' cloister bell rang was during "Turn Left", where it signified the end of the Universe.

-- Was the Doctor wearing the same red space suit he wore in "The Satan Pit"?

Quotes:

Doctor: "The laws of time are mine, and they will obey me."

Adelaide: “Is there anything you can't do?”
Doctor: “Not any more.”

Doctor: “For a long time now I used to think I was just a survivor. But I'm not. I'm a winner. That's who I am. The Time Lord victorious.”
Adelaide: “And there's no one to stop you?”
Doctor: “No.”

Doctor: “I've gone too far.”

All of our Doctor Who reviews are archive here
(Season 4, The Waters of Mars)


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Dexter: Road Kill

Dexter: "You stepped off a roof."
Trinity: "It was a mistake. We all make them."

Does Dexter have a soul? He isn't sure he does. But he certainly had a crisis of conscience over killing Farrow. And let's face it: compared to Trinity, Dexter looks like the picture of sanity.

Trinity certainly isn't wound as tightly as he first appeared to be, what with snapping at his perfect family, walking into the houses of total strangers and tromping up to their bathroom to have a mental breakdown, accosting strange families in restaurants and confessing that he saw his sister die. He seems obsessed with the religious principles of confession, remorse, and atonement. His bizarre behavior was pretty creepy. Well, he is a serial killer, so that shouldn't be a surprise.

When Trinity was ten, he caused the death of his sister because of simple adolescent curiosity. Which in turn caused his mother to commit suicide. Which in turn led Trinity to (I assume) kill his abusive drunk of a father. Since Trinity grew up in Tampa, he probably went back there specifically to kill himself with the last of his sister's ashes. Maybe he made that coffin for himself. No, probably not creepy enough.

Deb was a lot of fun in this episode. (I particularly liked the scene with Masuka and the bra.) She's a born detective, like a dog with a bone when it comes to crime. Deb figured out that Trinity didn't kill Lundy, after all. So who did? Someone we know? Is there another killer on the loose? At least Deb is back on the Trinity case now instead of on the sidelines feeding good ideas to Quinn. The DNA dragnet would have worked if Dexter hadn't been with Trinity at the time. It would be nice if Dexter could let Deb have the credit for nabbing Trinity, although it's probably not in the cards.

Is Rita about to cheat on Dexter? She was laughing with their neighbor, Elliot; she never laughs with Dexter. Is she disillusioned because Dexter isn't as perfect as she thought he was? Is she starting to realize there's something lacking in him? Even more interesting, I wonder how Dexter will react to Rita cheating on him? Will he shrug it off, or will he murder Rita and Elliot? It's hard to tell with Dexter.

I'm also having trouble seeing Rita as a former party girl, considering the battered shrinking violet she was in season one. Although it might explain why she married a loser like Paul in the first place.

Bits and pieces:

-- Did Deb put that bathtub slide in there on purpose? I think she did.

-- Deb now has to do that interview with the manipulative, amoral Christine. This can't be good.

-- I thought the search for photos of the Trinity victims in Dexter's office would lead to Quinn finding Laura Moser's mug shot. Not yet. And Masuka told Quinn about Lilah. She's out of character for Dexter's geeky good husband persona, and bound to make Quinn even more suspicious.

-- Angel and Maria succumbed to temptation and ruined a table in the conference room. I'm not surprised. They'd better be careful.

-- Quinn did a nice thing with those vacation days. He's certainly not all bad.

Quotes:

Angel: "Jonathan Farrow. Originally a suspect, now quite possibly a victim."
Dexter: (to himself) "It was a mistake, for fuck's sake."

Dexter: "I really do need to stab something."

Dexter: "Meteorological conference. Tampa."
Maria: "If I let you go, will you stop talking?"

Angel: "So we're looking for a potentially retired old white guy. In Miami."

Trinity: "Confession is good for the soul."
Dexter: (to himself) "All the more proof I have no soul."

Quinn: "Do you have access to Dexter's discarded crime scene photos?"
Masuka: "We share everything. (pause) Not in a gay way."

Another three star episode,

Billie

All of my Dexter reviews are archived here.
(Season 4, episode 8)

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Fringe: Of Human Action

“Massive Dynamic. It was just a name, until now.”

Massive Dynamic and Fringe Division teamed up this week to solve a kidnapping: at first blush, it looks like two used car salesmen kidnapped an innocent teenager. But, surprisingly, there’s more to the story: the kid is the kidnapper, and he’s controlling the adults around him. Mostly, he just needs them to drive him places, but that leads to all sorts of wacky shenanigans.


Our Theme of the Week is the lies that parents tell their children: Tyler’s dad told him his mother was dead, but she was really just a deadbeat (according to what he tells Olivia) or a surrogate (according to the last few minutes). And once Tyler man-naps Peter, Walter is forced to relive the feelings of loss that led to him bringing alterna-Peter into this world to replace real-Peter. A lie that Peter still doesn’t know about.

There were other power struggles in play, too. Walter felt the weight of his own failure when he encountered Massive Dynamic’s 73 labs and super-high-tech hallways, and he needed their help to find his son. The US government threatened to take Fringe Division off the case, justifying their takeover by claiming terrorism, even though, as Olivia noted, all the evidence pointed to an angry kid.

And, boy howdy, was he angry. Fifteen-year-olds don’t have fully developed moral compasses yet—I think it has something to do with their myelin sheaths. But this kid really didn’t mind killing lots and lots and lots of people to find his mommy. He even resisted Peter’s attempts to bond over their daddy issues.

Tyler and Peter also could have bonded over their bizarre origins, if either of them had known about their origins. The big reveal at the end reminded me of the X-Files episode Eve. And as much as our heroes may have felt like they were getting the full Massive Dynamic red carpet treatment, they were still being lied to. Thank goodness they had those tinfoil hats to protect themselves!

Walter’s sadness throughout the episode was so poignant, so touching, so well done. I usually feel like John Noble is almost wasted in this role, especially when he’s just supposed to act like an oddball. But it’s the moments like these that really let him shine.

The Good:

• Michael Giacchino’s score. The Massive Dynamic music was gorgeous.

• Olivia: “Is that what killed her?”
Walter: “Oh, ho, ho, ho, no. The bullet took care of that.” What a masterful chuckle.

• Peter: “A teddy bear vs. mind control spies? Bad guys don’t stand a chance.”

• Walter: “Do not under any circumstances remove [the headphones]. If you do, you may die a gruesome and human death. Thank you for your attention, and have a very nice day.”

• Peter: “Yeah, you managed to kidnap yourself. You’re a criminal mastermind.”

• Broyles: “Best case scenario, we have a highly intelligent malcontent on a killing spree.”

• Astrid in the tinfoil hat. Walter, too, but mostly Astrid.

The Bad:

• The coffee pot thing. Back in my barista days, I spilled 1.5 liters of coffee on my leg, and I think I blacked out for a bit from shock. So, so painful! Even to watch it happen to someone else, years later.

• Fox is doing some sort of promotion for The Simpsons—it’s a scavenger hunt. I noticed the Homer Pez dispenser and Tyler’s mom living in Springfield (state unknown). It really took me out of the story.


That’s Ridiculous:

• Walter: “This is not hypnosis; ‘tis mind control.”

• Cars, even clunkers, really don’t catch fire that easily. Especially not from the chassis.

• Olivia to Nina Sharp: “The son of one of your top scientists can control people’s minds? Surely that’s not a coincidence.”

• In the final minutes, Nina Sharp communicated with William Bell via what looked like an Apple 2E (if I’m wrong, please let me know; it was certainly an old computer). I wonder if Massive Dynamics were the ones to supply the Dharma stations.
.

This was another good stand-alone: it was much, much better than the stand-alones of the first season, and just as good as last week’s. It was nice to get a smallish peak inside the world of Massive Dynamic, even if we’re constantly in the position of knowing way more than our heroes (which is an odd position to be in, frankly). It looks like next week we’ll get some awesome Observer answers, and that’s super-exciting.

Four out of four teddy bears.

(Season Two, Episode Seven)

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2012

“Today, we are one family.”

There’s nothing like a global disaster to bring people together. Not all people, of course. Just some people. Nice people. Unobjectionable people. Normal Joes and regular gals and spunky precocious children. The people who really matter: they’re the ones who should be given exemption from aliens/global blizzards/invading British/gigantic apes/saber-tooth tigers/Armageddon.

Of course, the rich want exemptions, too, and in 2012 they do what they can to ride out the apocalypse on their Lear Jets and in their private government-funded bunkers. Well, so I hear. I haven’t actually seen the movie. But that doesn’t mean I can’t review it.


But I’m willing to bet those wealthy sons of bitches don’t make it: probably once they’re all in a room, the room explodes. Or maybe it’s a more insidious death: tongues of fire that actually consume instead of just creating a second Pentecost? Who knows? Who cares?

John Cusack cares. Well, not about the rich people. He cares about the survival of his family, which includes his kids, Spunky 1 and Spunky 2. Now, maybe they’re not both his children: no disaster movie is complete without an adopted member, orphaned via catastrophe. Then again, maybe they are: the spawn of his sad-sack loins, the future of the human race, the continuation of the patrilineal line. Amanda Peet, his wife—she also cares. Not having seen the film, I’m not sure if she makes it or not. Maybe they’re divorced and they reconcile as the world burns around them. Yeah, I’ll bet that’s it.

Chiwetel Ejiofor cares. I think he’s the Cassandra: the voice of doom that no one heeds. He’s also a phenomenal actor, and I hope he made a lot of money doing this film so that he can afford to be in the Dollhouse webisode third season. (No, there is no talk of a web-only third season of Dollhouse. The rumor starts here!)

Roland Emmerich cares. Not about the death of nearly 7 billion people. He cares about blowin’ stuff up. He cares about box-office draw. And he cares about special effects.

And wow! Are they incredible or what? I never get sick of watching the continents crumble into the ocean, cities torn asunder by earthquakes, the South Pole extending to the upper Midwest, the Hollywood sign falling down…I wonder if they showed a shot of New Orleans drowning under the rising Gulf? No? Too soon? I certainly hope so. I do know that they show southeast Asia engulfed by a tsunami. I guess it’s not too soon when it’s not America.

Roland Emmerich movies have taught me much about this world. Without Jon Cusack/Dennis Quaid/Mel Gibson/Will Smith/Kurt Russell, the human race would collapse under its own global warming/global freezing/desire to tax tea and stamps/alien invasion/military injustice in the face of an interstellar civilization. Our modern heroes must possess only one useful skill (such as knowing how to fly/knowing a lot about weather/being Australian/kickin’ alien butt/having sparkly blue eyes), a dark-ish secret, and a stubborn desire to take care of themselves and their family. Because without them, the world really would end.

We go to these movies because they’re big, they’re loud, and it’s fun to watch stuff blow up. We enjoy the heartfelt platitudes mouthed by the sacrificial leader. We enjoy the idea that we, too, will find love amidst the rubble. We enjoy the idea that it could be us up there, the Normal Joes and average gals, the last vestiges of civilization, the omega people, free from the burden of snarky waitresses, annoying co-workers, traffic, and finding affordable yet stylish boots.

We go because it’s mindless, because we know that if and when the world ends, it won’t happen to us. Or our spunky children. Maybe their children’s children, but we’ll be long gone by then. So we enjoy ourselves, we eat sugary snacks, we drink sugary drinks, we watch out sugary movie, and we’re reminded of what really matters. Sugary destruction.

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Stargate Universe: Time

I enjoyed ‘Time,’ even though the ending felt like a bit of a cop out. I guess we are just supposed to assume that Scott’s last recording does the trick and the next time through the loop the Destiny crew gets it right. Or they screw it up again and send another kino back, and so on, until they do get it right, and next week we’ll be back to the full parasite-free crew.

What I really liked about the episode (aside from getting to see Chloe die --- twice!!), was that once again they gave the typical Stargate formula (go through the gate, get into trouble, get out of trouble, go back through the gate) a twist by using the predicament to provide more character insight. We got to know Eli and T.J. better, and I thought we had some nice, small moments with Greer and Rush.

Eli brought the funny, as usual, but he also got some great serious scenes this week. I particularly liked his moments talking about his mom and facing his own mortality. I was surprised to learn Eli’s mother has HIV, which she got from a needle stick while treating a junkie. I figured she had cancer or lupus or something along those lines. HIV strikes me as a much bolder and more interesting choice.

I enjoyed seeing T.J. in action again this week. Even when she doesn’t know what to do, she remains calm and tries to maintain a semblance of control in a bad situation (at least in front of others). I loved the way she calmly and reassuringly escorted Ms. Park to a bed, just after telling Scott she didn’t have enough antibiotics and that the situation was spinning out of control. Plus, she showed some good thinking by checking the water as a potential source for the illness. Some may complain about her getting all weepy at the end, but, come on. Strong people don’t have to be emotionless. T.J.’s obviously a very compassionate person, and she had just lost multiple patients and watched Eli pour his heart out to a girl she probably knew was already gone. Who wouldn’t break down a little under those circumstances?

I also liked Rush’s little moments with Eli. My favorite was what Rush said to Eli about realizing one’s mortality. “The question is, did it change you? Did it inspire you to make something of this short existence that we have?” I couldn’t help reading between the lines a little, and once again wondering if he’s so driven on this whole Destiny project because he lost the woman he loved.

My biggest disappointment with the episode is that they seemingly hit the reset button when all was said and done. I knew the timeline had to change when everyone initially died on the planet, but when Chloe died the second time, I wasn’t so sure. I actually thought for about five minutes that she and Lt. James were well and truly dead. I was astounded that the creators would make such a bold move only eight episodes in, and, quite frankly, was thrilled by the possibility that they might actually be raising the stakes with this series. And I was delighted that Chloe was their first target. (But I only cheered on the inside, because it was a pretty devastating moment for Eli and T.J.) Alas, ‘twas not to be this week. At least James gets to keep living, too.

Other Thoughts

I did cheer out loud the first time Chloe died, because it obviously wasn’t permanent. My husband and I actually backed up the DVR so we could watch it a second time.

I was disappointed that they didn’t address any of the fallout from last week’s body swapping adventures. But, they had their hands full with a pretty dire situation, so I’ll let that one slide for now.

Eli: “Well, this couldn’t get much worse.”
Rush: “I’m afraid that’s a failure of imagination.”

When the episode first started, I was a little concerned the whole thing was going to be in kino vision. Thank goodness just parts of it were. It is an interesting device at times, but a whole episode with the Eli/kino P.O.V. would be pretty irritating.

Eli (on kino recording): “Do I need to point out yet again that documenting this could be important?!”
Eli (to crew watching on Destiny): “See? See?!”

I’ve decided to ignore the likely time travel problems with the episode. I’m sure there are issues associated with paradoxes and whatnot, but the time travel theory train left me with nothing but questions and headaches back in the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles days, so I’m not going to think about it too hard for this episode.

I know some viewers are getting tired of Eli comparing every experience to a sci-fi movie, but when I saw Rush looking down the ginormous ant hill, I immediately thought of the Alien face huggers. So I had to laugh when Eli said as much two seconds later.

Rush: “… for a moment there, I thought we were in trouble.” In light of their earlier conversation about top five desert island movies, I thought it was cool that Rush sort of threw Eli a bone by using a movie quote before trying the erratic wormhole. Even if Eli didn’t understand the reference.

Young doing the Captain Kirk thing again at the end was seriously irritating. It makes no sense for him to go on that particular mission. Maybe they didn’t have enough other military personnel left to go, but they sure made it seem like he just went along because he didn’t want his men to go alone.

Final Analysis: ‘Time’ hewed closer to the standard Stargate formula, but used the situation to explore character and give us another taste of who these people are when facing imminent death. It had some issues and disappointments, but overall was still an engaging hour.

(Season 1, episode 8)
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Supernatural: The Real Ghostbusters

Chuck: "The way I look at it, it's really not jumping the shark if you never come back down."

I've been to more than my fair share of sci-fi conventions. I've worn a Star Fleet uniform in public, danced the night away with guys dressed like Klingons, and spent hours in autograph lines. And I know that con-goers are not treated well in the television/movie world. We're usually portrayed as immature, unattractive, detail-obsessed losers who can't function in the real world. So I went into this episode with some apprehension.

But not to worry. Yes, Dean made the requisite comment about all of us living in our parents' basements, but mostly this episode was just a fun outing, with the requisite Supernatural touch of creepy thrown in. (Like the scalping. That was considerably creepy.) I honestly don't know how it could have been better. The costumes, the panels, the LARPing, the "yellow-eyed cooler." "Got salt?" I especially liked the Hook Man with the extreme fake German accent. And Ash. I miss Ash.

Most people would have been thrown off their game by a hotel full of LARPing fans dressed just like them. Not the Winchesters. They just did the job, like they always do. I liked how they bonded with Damien and Barnes, two Supernatural fans who explained quite well why fans are fans, and who realized that digging up bones and burning them isn't as much fun as it seems from the outside. (And yes, they were another joke about the homoerotic subtext.)

Chuck and Becky are perfect for each other, and I love them to bits. Chuck's question-answering outtakes at the end were exceptionally droll, and Becky makes me laugh without even opening her mouth. (I loved how she let Sam down gently, and how Sam let her think he actually cared.)

Only one complaint. Okay, two. How could Becky, the personification of a totally obsessed fan, resist the temptation of telling the con-goers that Dean and Sam were not only real, but in attendance? And how come nearly all of the fans were guys?

Bits and pieces:

-- Loved all of the black Impalas in the parking lot. They have stunt Impalas and stand-in Impalas; they probably used all of them at once.

-- Becky did something I've always wanted to do. "If you don't like the books, don't read them!"

-- The boys told Chuck that he can't publish any more books. That means that for all of those rabid fans, Dean will stay in Hell forever. That's sad.

-- Of course, if the world doesn't end but the Winchesters kill each other, Chuck can publish then. Right now, I'm sort of picturing a spin-off centered around Castiel, Bobby, Chuck and Becky. They could call it, "The Gospel According to Chuck." I'm only half-kidding.

-- This week, we went to the first ever Supernatural convention at the Pineview Hotel in Ohio. Fans were agents Lennon and McCartney, and Jagger and Richards. Unlike the ones the boys use, these are names that wouldn't go unnoticed.

-- Next week will probably be about the Colt, since Becky was able to give the boys a significant clue. Fans really do know the stuff better than the writers do.

Quotes:

Emcee: "At 3:45 in the Magnolia Room, we have the panel, 'Frightened little boy: the secret life of Dean'. And at 4:30, there's 'The homoerotic subtext of Supernatural'. And of course, the big hunt starts at 7 p.m. sharp."

Sam: "Why are you publishing more books?"
Chuck: "For food and shelter?"

Dean: "This is about all the community theater I can take."
Sam: "Yes, this cannot get any weirder."
Damien: "Dad said, he said, I may have to kill you."
Barnes: "Kill me? What the hell does that mean?"
Damien: "I don't know."
Dean and Sam: "I need a drink."

Barnes: "We get the Sizzler gift card."
Dean: "Fine."
Damien: "We get to be Sam and Dean."
Dean: "Fine."

Dean: "You know, maybe that guy was right. Maybe we should put these things on a bungee."

Becky: "Chuck and I, we found each other. My yin to his proud yang."

Sam: "If you really want to publish more books, I guess that's okay with us."
Chuck: "Wow. Really?"
Sam: "No, not really. We have guns and we'll find you."

Chuck: "I don't think the Benders made flesh suits out of all their victims. Maybe just, like, a couple scarves."

I'm not sure what rating to give this. It was just terrific, and I'm by no means tired of this fiction within fiction thing. But I think I'm ready to get back to the arc now,

Billie

All of my Supernatural reviews are archived here.
(Season 5, episode 9)

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FlashForward: Playing Cards with Coyote

"Everything's back to being up to us again."

There's something that's just not working for me.

I'm getting tired of everyone's knee-jerk reaction to their FlashForward. If it's not "I have to prevent it," it's "fate rules us all." I sort of want to shake them all and say, will you just live your lives already? But, see, how people react to the knowledge of their future is the basic premise of the series. It's a very cool premise. Are they just not handling it as well as they could? Is there a lack of "compelling" on the part of the characters?

Maybe it's that they're hitting and missing. I felt that "No More Good Days", "Black Swan" and "Gimme Some Truth" were really good. This episode just felt like something to slog through in order to get to the end, and I didn't really want to review it. When I contrast that to how I felt about the Supernatural episode that aired directly afterward, there's just no comparison. I'm not going to keep reviewing a show that I don't love. Gimme some love, people.

While the rest of the world has apparently gotten Al's memo to Celia (and how did it get to her if he didn't know her last name?), Aaron still believes that his flashforward is the be all and end all. I guess I can get that, considering how his daughter Tracy (Ruby from Supernatural) is actually alive and all. Apparently, the Blackwater-like corporation of evil, Jericho, tried to have her taken out. Their mercenaries, who conveniently have star tatts on their arms so that we can easily identify them, also appear to be working with Simon's organization -- was it Milos that he called it? And of course, Simon's organization caused the FlashForward, while working on a mysterious superweapon. I think. It all feels like interconnected evil. I could just be jumping to conclusions, though.

So far, Simon has shown up to harass Lloyd, say something tantalizing, and leave. At least this time we got a pointless card game, where we learned that Lloyd has principles (except that he cheats at cards), and doesn't care about either money or Simon's opinion of him. I am assuming that "Playing Cards with Coyote" was a reference to Simon being a nasty, scavenging predator who eats cats in the valley, not a flattering portrait of our beloved Dominic Monaghan. Why hasn't Simon just had Lloyd killed, already? Especially when he has access to plenty of star-tatted mercenaries to do the job?

(I am assuming "Playing Cards with Coyote" has nothing to do with the actor playing the president.)

Janis has come back to work and is already looking at sperm banks online. Okay, maybe I'm being too hard on this episode. They're trying to say that like Eloise Hawking told Desmond, the universe course-corrects; Janis would have wanted a baby, anyway, the future can be changed, but it tends to go in the direction it originally intended to go. But getting shot seems to be what made her want a baby in the first place, brush with death and all. In which case, in the FlashForward, she was in a universe where she hadn't gotten shot... okay, I have to stop now. I can't stand it.

Finally, there seem to be seven rings that apparently counteract the effect of the FlashForward. Seven rings to rule them all. I'm not sure I'm on board with magic rings, no matter what cool scientific principle is behind them.

Flashes:

-- There is apparently a mole at the FBI. Someone we know?

-- The reveal of all the guys with star tatts made me laugh out loud, even though I could tell it was coming.

-- Mark is still totally devoted to figuring out his Wall of Weird, while Olivia is tossing sexy undies Mark gave her in the trash to prevent future sex with Lloyd.

-- Simon has a god complex. That doesn't surprise me.

-- Olivia and Simon had a scene together. A little Lost reunion. Although I don't remember them ever having a scene together before. Well, except for via video in the Looking Glass.

-- Ingrid's business was called "Bird's Plus", with an incorrect apostrophe. I thought the birds were going to have something to do with the crows. Guess not.

-- "Something out of a Baldacci novel"? Who is Baldacci?

I really should watch the episode again, because I'm pretty sure I missed something important... but whatever it is, I'm sure you guys will tell me. :) Two out of four star tattoos,

Billie

All of our FlashForward reviews are archived here.
(Season 1, episode 8)
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Glee: Wheels

Sue: "If I have a pregnant girl doing a handspring into a double layout, the judges aren't going to be admiring her impeccable form, they're going to be wondering if the centrifugal force is going to make the baby's head start crowning."

What a wonderful and unexpected return from hiatus. I was expecting Glee to come back with a bang - all bite, snark, and over the top drama. Instead, we were treated to a sweet and sincere episode that focused on some of our supporting characters: Artie, Kurt, and Tina. What a way to get, er, rolling after the 3 week break.

Artie! Tina!
Artie has always been a favorite of mine. Every time I listen to the Glee version of "Push It", I crack up when I get to his "Holla!" And he's got incredible talent - just listen to his solo on the "It's My Life/Confessions" mash up. No offense to our resident Glee stud, but Artie totally punks Finn in that number.

So I was pretty excited to have an episode centered around Artie. There were so many excellent moments in this storyline, ranging from poignant (Artie's acoustic version of "Dancing with Myself"), brilliant (Mr. Schue's plan to have everyone be in a wheelchair for 3 hours/day), to plain hysterical (when Artie told Tina how he became handicapped, concluded with, "But I want to be very clear. I still have the use of my penis."). I especially liked watching the kids roll around the halls in wheelchairs, and seeing the challenges of not being able to reach, or being at waist height. It's a good thing that Rachel's dads are apparently rich; that girl gets more food on her clothes than an episode of Double Dare.

His crush on Tina was adorable, and I totally melted (puppy love!) when she kissed him. At first, I couldn't understand why he kept bringing up her stutter, but her admission that she was faking made sense. Even though I felt his reaction was a little harsh, I can totally understand where he's coming from: she was pushing away everything that he wished he could have, and she could be normal at any point, but he was still stuck being handicapped. I hope that he'll come around and forgive her - even if he identified with her initially because of their disabilities, the connection and the friendship is based on much more than that.

But I have to admit that Artie's story felt a little lacking. It might have been because he was sharing the episode with Kurt and Puck/Quinn, but I don't feel like I got to know his character any more then I already did. Sure, we found out how he became handicapped, but we didn't really learn about his history, how it changed him, etc. It would have been interesting to see if Artie would still be the jazz/Glee geek if he hadn't gotten into the accident.

Kurt! Kurt's Dad! Whose name I don't know!
There should definitely be more diva-offs in Glee's future - the Kurt/Rachel rivalry was terrific! And there are certainly more then enough divas to make for lots and lots of Broadway duets and Mariah Carey solos. I'm glad that Kurt finally had an opportunity to showcase his singing talent. Even though the "Single Ladies" episode was centered around him and his sexuality, he danced more then he sang. I have to say, hitting that high F was pretty impressive - I talk like Minnie Mouse and I can't even get close.

Of course, the best part about Kurt's storyline tonight - wanting to have the Wicked solo, even though it was a traditionally female part - was his relationship with his father. When we first met Kurt, I figured he had a rich, neglectful daddy, since he had that sweet car and all this designer clothes. Finding out that his dad owns an autobody shop and is sort of this guy's guy that works with his hands was a nice surprise.

The relationship between Kurt and his dad is a lovely anchor, in a show where most families are completely, outrageously dysfunctional (ahem, Terri). It also seems fairly realistic. Since I'm not a gay teenager in the middle of whitebread America, I can't comment on how realistic it is, but there are too many shows/stories where the focus is all about the character coming out, and whether or not their family will accept them. Once that happens - nothing. It was nice to watch Kurt's dad continue to struggle and understand his son's sexuality, the conflicting reactions he had to that phone call (both resentment at Kurt initially, then anger at the caller), and trying to support his son, even if he couldn't really understand why it was so important to him. Mike O'Malley did a knock out job - I hope we'll continue to see him.

I'm bummed that Kurt threw the diva-off, but his reasoning made me tear up. And Kurt changing from his Alexander McQueen sweater into coveralls to work on a car with his dad spoke volumes about their relationship. I'm hoping that we'll eventually get to see all of the kids with their families - especially Quinn.

Becky!
I'm going to skip the Quinn/Finn/Puck baby money storyline, and wrap up with some Becky moments. She wasn't a prominent character, but her role in the episode certainly revealed a lot about our other players.

First, Will. I'm really mixed about Will. I mean, he's an awesome guy, a teacher who really cares, and he does have the best intentions. As I said before, his wheelchair idea was brilliant. But let's be honest - sometimes, he's a dodohead. In a way, I like it - it's nice that he's far from perfect, and that he's human like the rest of us with good intentions. At the same time, he was judging Sue just as much as he accuses her of judging other people. I know he genuinely thought he was helping Becky when he chastised Sue for being so harsh, but he totally didn't get it: Becky does want to be treated like everyone else, Sue-torture or not. And let's not even talk about how he hasn't figured out that his wife has been faking a pregnancy for like 3 months!

The Sue reveal at the end was just... whoa. I don't want to say it was shocking, but I didn't see it coming at all. I totally misted up when she gave her sister the pom-pom, and the tenderness and love in her face when she read Little Red Riding Hood was probably the first genuine Sue moment we've seen. We started to see little cracks in her facade with the Sue-Will throwdown, and the Rod situation, but let's face it - the Rod/Sue storyline was cheesy and cheeky, and only showed that Sue could be vulnerable.

I do hope that the writers bring back inappropriately snarky Sue, though - we need that bite to balance the softness, and it's just not nearly as funny when she's a human being :-) And if Jane Lynch doesn't win an Emmy, I swear, I'll eat Kurt's tiara collection and puke it over the Emmy voters.

But I have to tell you, my favorite favorite moment was when Brittany bought Becky a cupcake. No analysis. It was just sweet and simple and wonderful.

The Music!
Here's this week's musical, er, score. (Sorry, I can't seem to stop punning tonight.)

+2 for Artie's acoustic version of "Dancing with Myself". It took me probably 20 seconds to even recognize it.

- 1 for replaying the original Billy Idol version while the kids were struggling with the wheelchairs. Hello, overkill? They did the same thing with "Single Ladies" - hilarious as it was, it lost it's impact by time #3

- 1 for the sluggish beginning of "Proud Mary", but +3 for when they cranked up the energy. It rocked.

-1 for the wheelchair choreography - interesting, but not exciting. I was expecting to see some wheelies. But +10 because their hands were so busy with the wheels that they couldn't reach anywhere.

+2 for giving Tina a chance to perform on "Proud Mary". She's pretty incredible. I was just thinking the other day that they need to have more females than Lea Michele singing.

+2 for the spliced in duet on "Defying Gravity", but -1 because it would have been more interesting if there was no Rachel singing at all this week.

Total: 15. Not too bad, given the number of points they gain for excluding The Reach.

GLEEful Moments 'n Quotes:
-- No Emma, Ken, or Terri tonight (thank God), but we... got... SANDY!!! More Sandy! More Sandy!

-- Sandy (after Puck tells him a shark fractured his spinal cord): ''This is why I don't go to the aquarium."

-- Puck's good at 2 things: Lying, and crime. I have to admit, the pot cupcakes were rather ingenious, especially since Puck "[doesn't] put in enough to get you hallucinating... just enough to give you a wicked case of the munchies.

-- Baby with a mohawk! That would be so very awesome.

-- Brittany: "Most of us don’t know how to bake. I find (pause) recipes (pause) confusing."

-- Kurt: "At least you don't have to worry about me getting a girl pregnant."

-- Sue: "I’m about to projectile-express myself all over your Hush Puppies."

-- Rachel: "We didn't think you would take it personally."
Artie: ''Well, you're irritating most of the time, but don't take that personally."

This one was so good, I have to mention it again:
-- Artie: "But I want to be very clear. I still have the use of my penis."

-- Fashion of the week: What was with Quinn's outfit in the first scene? She looked like a walking US propaganda poster, all red, white and blue.

-- Kurt: "We all know I'm more popular than Rachel, and I dress better than her."

All in all, I thought it was a nice, sweet episode. I like it when Glee balances its crazy, snarky over-the-topness with some more low key episodes. I only wish that they had focused on Artie more. It did feel a little like they were trying to get all of the "miscellaneous" characters stories out so that they could move on.

2.5 out of 4 wheelchairs.
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V: There is No Normal Anymore

Reviewing Note: Given our increasing show load here at Billie Doux, we are going to do things a little differently for V and rotate reviewers on a weekly basis.

‘There is No Normal Anymore’ wasn’t as entertaining as the pilot, but it was a decent enough follow-up to the events of that episode, particularly regarding the burgeoning resistance and the Visitors increasing foothold on Earth. The story feels a bit derivative and cliché at times (how could it not, since it is based on an old series?), but the writers are still managing to wring some tension of out the old “trust no one” chestnut. I felt just like Agent Erica --- suspicious of nearly everyone, particularly at the FBI office. Rekha Sharma (Tory, Battlestar Galactica) feels like a prime Visitor candidate, as does Father Jack’s fellow priest (he’s just way too cool with their arrival). After their private confrontation about her missing partner, I think maybe Erica’s boss (Roark Critchlow) is a normal human --- but I’m not 100 percent sure. Ack! They are everywhere!

I found some of the dialogue a bit forced and clunky at times. Even the excellent Elizabeth Mitchell couldn’t do much with some of the horribly ponderous and cheesy lines she was given. Especially in the scenes between Erica and Jack. “We can’t attack it head on. It’s too dangerous. I have to figure out what to do.” Oh, OK. Erica is in charge and has to figure out what to do. You go home, Jack.

Erica is almost as good a liar as Juliet from Lost. Almost. She’s not quite as stone cold. (How much do I love Elizabeth Mitchell for being able to convey such a subtle difference?!)

The parts with Rebellious Son Tyler and Lisa the Beautiful Blond Visitor are just painful to watch. I actually started yelling at the TV, “She’s a lizard, dude! Her insides are nowhere near as pretty as the outside!” Ugh. Those sequences feel make me feel like I’m watching some angsty teen drama. I kind of hope she eats him (or does something equally horrible) and we are done with Tyler. I’d rather watch Elizabeth Mitchell do the angry, grieving mother as resistance leader, instead of the distracted mom with the annoying teenage son.

My favorite moment was Erica’s nightmare that Dale had come back to kill her son with her gun. Oh, how I wish he had. At least the possibility remains, since we saw at the end that Dale lives to fight another day. (Yea! More Alan Tudyk!)

I also thought it was very interesting that Dale had been Erica’s partner for 7 years. And Morris Chestnut and Angelo said that the invasion was happening ahead of schedule. Wow. That’s some seriously advanced planning. Why go to so much trouble? Why not just invade? What exactly do they want the humans for? (I can’t remember from the original series. The mid '80s were a long time ago. Please no spoilers.)

I’m still loving Anna, particularly Morena Baccarin’s portrayal. So smooth and controlled, but still somehow lizard-like. And really scary.

The scenes with Journalist Chad were interesting. (“Abrogation? Nice. Do you have one of those word-a-day calendars?”) I can’t decide if he did what he did because he has suspicions and concerns, or if he really wanted to help Anna. I suspect he just wants to be in the driver’s seat, and not the one getting used and manipulated. “This one was a freebie. The next time you want my help, it’ll be on my terms.”

My household was less than impressed with the Visitor’s flying ball of death. Sure it looks cool, goes real fast, and gets super spiky, but we find it hard to believe the thing isn’t capable of capturing better images. With all that impressive Visitor technology --- including the awesome HD projection on the bottom of their ships, tech that makes people hallucinate snakes, and Anna's "closet" --- they can’t create a flying ball of death that gets clearer images? Please. They should have instantly been able to see who was in that warehouse meeting. I hate when the tech is illogically dumbed down to create plot tension.

Final Analysis: On the whole, not nearly as compelling as the first episode, but we’re in the transition phase. The resistance is just getting started. (Here’s hoping they can ramp it back up in the next two episodes, or viewership is going to take a hit when the show comes back in March!)

(Season 1, episode 2)
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NewsFlash: Fox cancels Dollhouse

Fox, in a move that is surprising no one, is canceling Dollhouse. The good news is that all of the episodes will air, and that Joss Whedon will have enough advance notice to put a (hopefully) satisfying end to the series.

On Whedonesque, Joss Whedon commented:

Hmm. Apparently my news is not news.

I don't have a lot to say. I'm extremely proud of the people I've worked with: my star, my staff, my cast, my crew. I feel the show is getting better pretty much every week, and I think you'll agree in the coming months. I'm grateful that we got to put it on, and then come back and put it on again.

I'm off to pursue internet ventures/binge drinking. Possibly that relaxation thing I've read so much about. By the time the last episode airs, you'll know what my next project is. But for now there's a lot of work still to be done, and disappointment to bear.

Thank you all for your support, your patience, your excellent adverts. See you again. -j.

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NewsFlash: Torchwood likely to return

I've been waiting for news about the fourth season of Torchwood for what seems like forever. Nothing is set in stone yet, but Russell T. Davies says that there may be good news about season four coming in January. (The article contains spoilers for Children of Earth; you've been warned.) (And since this is just a newsflash, don't bother to click on Read full post.

Heroes: Shadowboxing

The Haitian finally has a name: Rene. It's about time. Actually, it's really late. (This *was* the first time we heard it, wasn't it?)

The best part of this one was (again) Sylar and Matt wrestling for control of Matt's body and playing dirty mind tricks on each other. I was rather proud of Matt being willing to die in order to stop Sylar. (Not that I think Matt will die -- not with a healer and an immortal with magic blood in the cast.) By the time Matt is back in control, he's going to be wanted for every crime under the sun. Unless he mind controls everyone he meets from now on.

Claire left Gretchen alone, armed only with a plastic bottle of baby powder to use against invisible murderous psychopaths. I'm not surprised that the lesbian subplot is already over, because I would have left that dorm room permanently, too. Maybe Samuel's way really is the only way. I don't see how a killer supe like Becky can be successfully integrated into society.

As much as I enjoy seeing Peter saving lives and exploring new powers (and I do), the segments with our Italian eagle scout and Emma didn't seem to have much of a point. Other than Peter getting her over her withdrawal from life after her nephew's death, and practicing medicine again. Okay, maybe that was the point. Is this subplot over, now?

One thing Heroes has done better this season is concentrating on maybe three plots per episode instead of a dozen. I wish they'd done it much sooner.

Postscript. There have been a zillion articles on the internet in the past week about something that is going to happen on Heroes. I did see them, much against my will, and I know what the spoiler is. Please don't post anything about it in the comments so that we don't spoil everyone who *didn't* see the articles. Thanks.

Post postscript. I really liked the white shirt that Claire was wearing. I want it.

All of my Heroes reviews, most of them longer than this, are archived here.
(Season four, episode eight)

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Smallville: Kandor

Surprise. I actually rather liked this one, too. It was like a call-back to Superman 2, but with clones. And it's always fun when we delve into the baseline Superman mythology.

Julian Sands carries some weight as an actor, and I thought he made a good Jor-El -- sort of like a cross between Marlon Brando and Terence Stamp. Zod figuring it all out seemed a bit of a leap, but there you go. Plus it does seem a bit of a coincidence that Clark got to meet both of his parents as clones, but when you have a comic book series go on for nine years, these things happen. A shame Clark and Jor-El didn't get to spend more than a moment together.

What else? Let's see. I liked the big yellow scene in the desert; it was fun to watch. I was disappointed that Lois left town. Chloe having cameras on Clark all the time was convenient for the plot, but a really icky invasion of Clark's privacy. Chloe has become scary. Next thing you know, she'll turn into a supervillain.

And I was disappointed that Clark still can't fly. Maybe they're saving it for the series finale in 2026.

All of my Smallville reviews are archived here.
Photo credit: Kryptonsite.
(Season 9, episode 7)

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Dexter: Slack Tide

Dexter: "This is a little too 'Into the Woods' for me."

Oops.

In his zeal to find someone to kill other than Trinity, Dexter has made an unforgivable mistake. That's what you get for not listening to Harry. Especially since Trinity seems to be losing control again, possibly about to fall off his cycle, so to speak. Who's the coffin for, Arthur? Is there a fourth part of the ritual Lundy never saw? Was it the chainsaw that set Trinity off? Maybe it was the deer.

Jonathan Farrow's photos were so awful that he almost deserved to get killed. (Although I think him hitting so nastily on Deb was what pushed Dexter over the edge.) Note how Dexter killed Farrow the same way he killed that poor deer. Both innocent. Although I'm sort of hoping they'll find out that Farrow was in league with his assistant. Maybe the deer was evil, too.

Trinity is the right age to be Dexter's father, he gives him great advice, and they've got so much in common. No wonder Dexter doesn't want to kill him. He still wants to make a connection; he doesn't want to kill another prospective Harry. Did Brian, Lilah and Miguel teach him nothing? Guess not.

In fact, Dexter was practically euphoric, thinking he had this husband and father thing under control, but unfortunately, he still has work to do. Loved the inappropriate scary story he told in the woods, and how he didn't understand the point of "The Hook," pun intended. I also really liked Dexter and Trinity alone in the woods together with chainsaws; it was funny in such a sick way.

(Dexter works full time, puts up shelves, stays up with the baby, sailing trip, camping in the woods, and he still finds time to run off and kill someone in the middle of the night. Where does Dexter get all that energy? I get tired just watching him.)

Quinn is getting too close for comfort, and his relationship with Dexter has escalated to verbal exchanges of threats accompanied by off-hours shadowing. (Yes, it's Doakes all over again.) Quinn is too self-confident to back off, and he's a detective who senses that there's something there to detect. I sort of want to shake Quinn and say, don't screw with Dexter. You'll be really, really sorry.

Bits and pieces:

-- "Slack tide" is when the tide is still, not going in or out. Water is often used in this series as a metaphor for Dexter's hidden self.

-- Why oh why did Deb give up investigating Harry's C.I.'s right before she hit Laura Moser? What a long tease for such an anticlimactic moment. They can't have introduced this plot element and kept it around so long just to drop it. Could they?

-- Deb got Dexter's apartment, which I expected. (Why create a new set when there's already one standing?) Dexter was finding it hard to let go of his refuge. Don't have any people over, Deb.

-- "Sergeant." "Lieutenant." While trying not to draw attention to themselves, Maria and Angel drew attention to themselves. And they're not going to be able to resist temptation forever.

-- I liked how Dexter saved his mother's mug shot from the shredder. That was sweet.

Quotes:

Rita: "Go easy on him. He's only one person."
Dexter: (to himself) "That you know of."

Dexter: "Dear Abby, I'm a serial killer. I need advice on how to keep my kids from taking over my life."

Dexter: (looking at Farrow's gruesome photos) "Even I'm disturbed by this."

Dexter: "I'll need to find the right activity for Astor. What did I like to do when I was twelve? (pause) Okay, then. Moving on."

Dexter: "Okay, two serial killers go for a ride. Why do I get the feeling this joke ends with only one of them coming back?"

Three out of four stars,

Billie

All of my Dexter reviews are archived here.
(Season four, episode seven)

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Stargate Universe: Earth

Hmmm … Stuff to like in this one, and stuff to intensely dislike. I don’t quite know where to begin. Let’s try the positive.

It was nice to see them attempting something bold to get everyone back home. The idea to dial the gate while recharging in a star made perfect sense, and I’m glad they put it out there and explored the possible dangers associated with that plan. Was it really doomed to failure, or did Rush simply sabotage the effort because he doesn’t want to go home? I’d say both are equally likely. Guess time and Eli will tell.

I really enjoyed the sequence when they tried to put the plan into action. Clearly, for overall plot reasons, it wasn’t going to work and the ship wasn’t going to blow up. But I wasn’t sure what the heck was going to happen, and I had a feeling it would be something terrible. Kudos to the writers for managing to wring some tension out of that whole situation.

I also liked Camille’s brief scene with Morris O’Brian from 24 (Carlo Rota). She’s pretty bold and has some interesting shades of grey. Kind of like Rush. Some viewers seem to find her an annoying, power-hungry bureaucrat, but I think she’s very interesting. She’s certainly concerned with career advancement (as are most people), but she’s shrewd enough to realize the practical realities of their situation on Destiny. I liked that even though she seemingly went along with her Earth superiors by supporting the “experiment,” she also went to Rush to try to ensure everyone’s survival.

As for the rest of the episode, … I’ve always been a bit skeezed out by the communication stones, and this episode really highlighted some of the seriously negative aspects of these devices. I was absolutely appalled when Col. Young and his wife decided to “kiss and make up” when his consciousness was in another man’s body. The way that scene played out only served to underscore the incredible awkwardness and inappropriateness of such action. Is there some kind of tacit agreement that using the stones means you consent to allow whoever inhabits your body to do whatever the hell they want with it? Are there warnings or disclaimers when you arrive? What if Chloe was inhabiting an alcoholic when she went out and got ragingly drunk? What if his ‘host’ is diabetic and Eli goes on a homemade chocolate chip cookie-eating binge? What if Eli had been driving when the glitch occurred and they were suddenly in their own bodies again? A serious accident could have occurred. Quite frankly, I think it is entirely inappropriate that people are allowed to leave the Pentagon and go around cavorting in other people’s bodies. Sure it makes for some interesting story possibilities, but there are serious ethical and moral problems with the situation, and I’d like to see them addressed more directly.

Speaking of morals, I was very, very disappointed in Col. Young this week. I think he’s a fine commander (head and shoulders above Telford) and basically a good man, but he is a terrible husband. The episode starts out with him having a racy dream about T.J. --- with whom they finally confirmed he had a past affair --- then, first chance he gets, he’s stalking his estranged wife, proclaiming his undying love, and begging her forgiveness. An incredibly selfish and unreasonable thing to ask of her given the circumstances. I was so upset when she opened the door to let him back in.

I will give the writers credit for making this week’s obligatory sex scene actually relate to the plot. Given both the mid-coitus glitch and the closing scene, the sex actually felt like more than gratuitous “edginess” this week. I’m wondering if Telford’s arrival at Emily’s house means the writers are going to deal with the body swap fallout, or if he is just attempting to mess with Young. Or maybe Telford and Emily had a relationship prior to this “encounter.” It might explain her willingness to hop into bed with her hubby despite him being in a different body. Hmmm …

In other gripes: why so much Chloe?! So far, she has been completely useless. About the only positive thing I can say for her at this point is that she seems to recognize her complete uselessness, which makes her slightly less irritating. I wonder if I would dislike her so much if the writers didn’t seem so blindly enamored with her. Maybe in smaller doses, I wouldn’t mind her. But as things are, I like her less and less every week. Writers, please spend some time on your underdeveloped characters and stop shoving the poor, little rich girl down our throats! We barely saw Greer and T.J. this week, and yet we had to watch Chloe go all Dawson’s Creek over an ex and have another meltdown about her father. Enough!

Other Thoughts

Telford is a world-class a**. As soon as he arrived on the scene, he immediately made me start rooting for Rush. And Rush is such a tricky, slippery little devil, that I don’t know if I should be rooting for him.

I hope that Riley is makes it. We were just getting to know him. He seems pretty smart and capable (he came up with the battery recharger). They desperately need people like him if they are going to survive, much less get home.

I could have done without the extended shots of the performer at the club. It felt like either filler or advertising for the artist.

I’m extremely relieved that the Chloe-Eli kiss was all in his head. I take back my seriously uncharitable thoughts about Chloe in that moment. Although I still wanted to smack her when she laid the “You’re a good friend” line on him. Sigh. Eli, you can do better.

Good to see Richard Dean Anderson again. I liked his scenes with Col. Young. Especially when he went on the tear about Carter always pulling his butt out of the fire with technology he didn’t understand. So true.

Final Analysis: There were some moments to enjoy, but for the most part ‘Earth’ just irritated and disturbed me. It wasn’t badly written or executed, but the moral/ethical quandaries surrounding the whole body-switching business really bother me and need to be addressed. At least it gives us food for thought and debate in the meantime. But for goodness sake, enough Chloe!

(Season 1, episode 7)
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FlashForward: The Gift

“What you call cheating, I call finding a way to change the game.”

How do you win a game when the only rule is fate and the only outcome is foreordained? You change the players. We got our first glimpse of the possibility of hope—that is, the possibility of change—but that hope came at a huge price. It’s a LeapForward in the philosophical implications of the flashforwards.

And yes, that’s also a pun.

Special Agent Al couldn’t handle the possibility that he would cause a terrible tragedy, purely by accident. No Minority Report self-certainty for him: how can you plan to avoid an accident? SA Al was almost one of the ghosts, those people who didn’t have a flashforward. Only his was more complex: he knew that he’d done something awful, and for him that knowledge was a fate worse than death. His suicide was sort-of bravely self-sacrificing, except that by dying he proved that the future can be changed, which makes his suicide pointless. When he was on the ledge, I did worry that he was going to fall right onto Celia’s car in some sort of course-correction. Then I realized I was thinking of the wrong show.

Joseph Fiennes has been a bit over the top for me so far, but when he hugged Olivia I felt all the emotions he must be feeling: despair over the loss of his friend, and great hope for the possibility that his marriage didn’t need to fall apart. The ghosts didn’t have that hope, which turned them all into S&M goths. Is that really the effect of hopelessness? Eyeliner and leather?

I felt an awful lot of sparkage between Nicole the babysitter/candy striper and Dr. Bryce, but Bryce didn’t: he’s still fixated on his maybe-Japanese future girlfriend. This is a different type of hopelessness: he’s unable to see the pretty girl in front of him because he’s so fixated on the one he doesn’t have. In other lovey-dovey news, Demetri finally put all his cards on the table for fiancé Zoey, but she called his bluff. She chose hope. And hope is what Al gave his coworkers with his act of despair.

Speaking of hope, I’m starting to feel like a rube. Every week, I hope for Dominic Monaghan, only to be thrown crumbs. This week, the crumb was a shot of him staring intently at a laptop. I hope he’s at least drawing a good paycheck, and I hope that we’ll get more of him being evil and British soon.

Our symbol of the week was the boat that Celia’s sons were playing with: we’re adrift on the sea of fate, battered about by forces more powerful than we can control. We can go with the flow, we can force our galley slaves to row us against the wind, but we’re still just one tiny ship in the ocean of life. Or something silly like that.


Flashes:

• Did the MI-6 lady say that Prince is dead? Ah, no. Print is dead. I certainly hope that Prince survived the flashforward.

• Demetri: ‘Is that a cardigan?’
Al: ‘I was going for average Joe.’
Mark: ‘Back off. That jacket? Ridiculous.’
Demetri: ‘Says the FBI agent in the police t-shirt.’ Demetri gets the best lines. Did you know he was in Harold and Kumar?

• Was Aaron’s daughter pursuing Hajis? People going on hajj (or hadj)? In other words, was she pursuing pilgrims? I certainly hope not. Even the medieval crusaders were better than that.

• The ghosts sounded more like drones when they responded to an alarm by walking in lockstep while muttering ‘Reynaud, Reynaud.’ Perhaps that is the effect of having a Cylon as your leader.

• Reynaud/Jeff experienced an infinite pit of nothingness and indifference, a Nietzschean abyss. I thought that the ‘ghosts’ didn’t have flashes of any kind—seeing a nothing is different from seeing nothing. Right?

• I’m not sure what to say about Aaron’s daughter showing up just when he’d begun to make peace with the possibility that his flashforward wasn’t going to come true. But I’m excited to see what they make of it.

• ‘The Gift’ was the title of a Buffy episode that dealt with a similar quandary in a similar way.

3.5 out of 4 Callum Keith Rennies.

All of our FlashForward reviews are archived here.
(Season One, Episode Seven)
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Supernatural: Changing Channels

Dean: "Right about now, I wish I was back in a TV show."
Sam: "Yeah. Me, too."

Pleasantville on acid. I gave this episode four stars in the first few minutes. By the time they got to the Knight Rider parody, I was worn out from laughing. Like "The Monster at the End of This Book," it was fiction within fiction, a television show inside a television show, transparent symbolism about how their entire lives have been manipulated from the outside. I love stuff like this.

The previews all focused on the parody of Grey's Anatomy (probably because of the competing time slot situation) but I thought that part was only okay. But I loved the Japanese game show Nutcracker! with the boots and the ball crusher. And the Knight Rider parody, with Sam and the Impala as Kitt. And the Winchesters themselves, but translated into an uncomfortable and creepy sitcom; they even had their own theme song and jokey montage. The writers of this show don't just push the envelope; they shove it through a shredder.

As usual, there was heavy under the funny. We're still back to Dean and Sam "playing their roles" as the two most important chess pieces on Earth. Trickster/Gabriel said he didn't care which side won, but I don't believe it. Who suffered the most during this episode? Who got humiliated over and over? Yes, Dean got shot, but Sam got hit by the Nutcracker, after a couple of really nasty questions directed right at him. Sam had to do the Herpes ad. Sam was the car. And even though Dean died over and over again, Sam was the one the Trickster tortured in "Mystery Spot".

(I was mildly bummed that the Trickster wasn't really a trickster, although they set that up fairly well by the fact that they couldn't stake him in "Tall Tales", and he was way too powerful as well as way too obsessed with freaking Sam out in "Mystery Spot.")

There was a brief mention of Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character on Grey's Anatomy, and more on the parallels between God/Michael/Lucifer and John/Dean/Sam. I'll say it again. If they plan to bring Morgan back, please make him God. Please. It would be perfect.

Bits and pieces:

-- In the sitcom, Sam was again giving Dean a hard time for having sex. I still don't understand why Sam would care. Although, come to think of it, in the sitcom, Dean was the screw-up comic relief and Sam was the straight man. So I guess it fit.

-- The two questions asked on Nutcracker! were, for Sam: "What was the name of the demon you chose over your own brother?" and for Dean, "Would your mother and father still be alive if your brother was never born?"

-- The set decoration on Nutcracker! was impressive. It occurred to me that only male contestants could be on that show, seeing as how women lack nuts. There aren't any women in the whole Apocalypse scenario, either. There's something really sexist about all this. :)

-- The sitcom set decoration was impressive, too. It was so shiny and artificial, while still giving us the standard weirded out motel room.

-- I identified with Dean's rant about procedural cop shows; I never watch them, either. Which one were they parodying, with the sunglasses and the lollipop? Jensen and Jared were imitating someone, too. Was it David Caruso?

-- I thought the oil had to come from a special place in Jerusalem, not out of the Impala. Maybe it just needed to be prayed over or something.

-- The preview gave too much away. I'm tempted to not watch them any more.

-- Wellington, Ohio, at the Day-Z motel, which was the Sun 'n Sands Motel in the sitcom.

-- As I've mentioned before, stuff like this looks easy. It's really, really not. Gold acting stars for Jensen and Jared, especially Jared. Although he does tend to get the same troubled, constipated-looking furrowed brow whenever Lucifer is mentioned.

Quotes:

Mrs. Randolph: "It's impossible, but I could have sworn I saw the Incredible Hulk."
Sam: "The Incredible Hulk?"
Mrs. Randolph: "I told you. It's crazy."
Dean: "Bana or Norton?"

Dean: "Is there, uh, would there be any reason that Lou Ferrigno, the Incredible Hulk, would have a grudge against your husband?"
Mrs. Randolph: (long pause) "No." The look on her face was priceless.

Sam: "Okay, I need a penknife, some dental floss, a sewing needle, and a fifth of whiskey. (Everyone looks at him.) Stat!"

Game show host: "Mister Trickster does not like pretty boy angels." Poor Castiel just got beaten up over and over in this one.

Dean: (voice over) "Possible side effects include headache, diarrhea, permanent erectile dysfunction, thoughts of suicide, and nausea."
Sam: "I'm doing all I can to... slightly lessen the spread of... of... genital herpes. And that's a good thing."

Sam: "You gotta calm down."
Dean: "Calm down? I'm wearing sunglasses at night. You know who does that? No talent douchebags."

Sam: "Should I honk?"

Gabriel: "This isn't about a war. It's about two brothers that loved each other and betrayed each other. You'd think you'd be able to relate."

Four out of four stars,

Billie

All of my Supernatural reviews are archived here.
Screencap credit: Oxoniensis Screencaps
(Season 5, episode 8)

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Fringe: Earthling

“I just wanted to make the world a safer place.”

As though the traditional threats of MRSA and staph infections, and the new threat of swine flu, weren’t enough, now we’ve got a shadowy Russian radiation-craving night nurse cosmonaut to worry about at the hospital. We also have the even more frightening threat of what looks like a string of stand-alone episodes to contend with—this one was pure mind-candy, with creepy ghosts and fulfilled vendettas and a touching emotional scene. But there wasn’t an ounce of mythology here. Not. One. Ounce.


When the Russian was electrocuting his brother it was very Dr. Frankenstein, which made the old quote at the beginning of the episode seem strange: was there an implicit comparison between Walter and the Russian?

There was a definite comparison between Broyles and the Russian: four years ago, both just wanted to take care of their families. Broyles lost his, but the Russian got away. Now, Broyles gets to exorcise his demons and get his vengeance on, 24-style (the episode was directed by 24 alum Jon Cassar). He’s an impressively forceful man, that Broyles.

Olivia was concerned for Broyles’s accountability if he went rogue—or rouge, I guess, given the ‘pinko’ theme of tonight’s episode. She was looking out for her co-workers and her boss: I think the old Olivia is back. Hooray!

Olivia took care of Broyles, Peter checked Walter’s vest, and Broyles and the Russian were all about taking care of their families, which is our Theme of the Week.


The Good:

• For some reason, the red walls of the restaurant reminded me of Spy Dad’s advice to Sydney’s friend Francie.
• Broyles has put on some weight. He looks good.
• At first, I thought ‘Dusty’ was cheating on his wife and that’s why he was lying about the airport lounge.
• The music was so very Alias, with those moody Slavic tones.
• Peter: ‘Walter, that is a man’s remains that you’re playing with.’
• Walter: ‘Just because they’re on the other side of the world, is it so hard to believe that they have their own brand of the inconceivable?’
• Walter asking Astrid to get some licorice for his guests, the way someone might ask their spouse to make coffee.
• Walter: ‘Yes, I can dominate her, Agent Broyles!’

The Bad:

• There weren’t any ‘previously on’—just a recap of what the Fringe division is and how Walter is like Frankenstein. That’s always a sign that we’re getting a stand-alone. Our first of the season, right?
• My lists of ‘Bads’ have been getting shorter and shorter. That’s a good thing for the show, a bad thing for consistent reviewing structure. After next week I might remove the category altogether.

This Doesn’t Make Any Sense (as Walter said):

• I don’t quite understand how you have to ‘solve’ the formula for something when you’ve already got the ‘map’ (or whatever it’s called) for how all the little bits fit together. And with that statement, I reveal my utter ignorance of how chemistry works.

And now I’m out of things to say. I really enjoyed this episode, but in retrospect it feels just as insubstantial as the shadowy villain. It’s certainly the best stand-alone Fringe has ever given us, though.

I rode in an elevator with Ian Ziering today. He’s the guy from the first 90210 whose name has become a byword for an actor who is utterly unemployable after his hit show is over. He very sweetly let me exit the elevator first, and for that I have decided to honor him in my own small way:

Four out of four Ian Zierings.

(Season Two, Episode Six)

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