Torchwood Miracle Day: Escape to LA

Gwen: "He was just about to tell us!"
Rex: "Thanks? Anybody? Thanks?"

I wasn't emotionally engaged before, but I am now. This was a much stronger episode than the first three. It feels like we finally arrived.

And what's our next destination? That conversation with the assassin sent to kill Jack was tantalizing. He said Jack was special to "them", and talked about rumors of miracles yet to come, a new society being forged on Earth. (That can't be good.) He said to Jack, and I quote, "What did you give them so long ago? ... They are everywhere, they are always, they are no one. They have been waiting for such a long time, searching the world for specific geography. They once had names long ago." As Gwen said, great, he's cryptic. Are these aliens we've heard of before in Doctor Who or Torchwood? If they are, post a comment. Post a guess! Jack doesn't have a clue, and neither do I.

The fallout from Miracle Day is finally getting really creepy. "Overflow camps" as metaphorical plague ships for the permanently sick, the walking dead, the elderly and the abandoned babies, and of course, that means concentration camps. This appears to be the ultimate goal of the Revolving Triangle Bad Guys. They must need unwanted people... for what? I certainly don't have a good feeling about it.

Oswald Danes was nearly supplanted by Ellis Hartley Monroe (Mare Winningham), "darling of the Tea Party," who started a "Dead is Dead" campaign intended to strip the walking dead of their rights as human beings. She was even more revolting than Danes, if that's possible. Danes defeated her by choosing populism, which was smart. And he took off his mask in the hospital to show that he was on the side of the people. Good. Maybe he'll get permanent cholera.

(Ellis Hartley Monroe's "final destination" was particularly horrible. Ick. And also ack. Even worse than what the assassin did to poor Nicholas Frumkin. Ack again.)

Jilly has worked for PhiCorp for only six months, and she can't stand Oswald Danes. My double agent scenario feels possible, although she certainly seemed thrilled when Danes eliminated Monroe as a rival. That shot of Danes holding that abandoned baby girl up to the camera made me shudder. I'm waiting for Danes to start demanding victims to play with. What's appalling is that I'm certain he'll get them.

I haven't even talked about Torchwood yet. And this was a strong episode for Torchwood, too.

Gwen feels like she's on the other side of the world from her family, probably because she is. (Rescuing her father from the concentration camp will have to be up to Rhys and Sergeant Andy; Gwen is needed in the U.S. to save the world.) I really enjoyed Jack and Gwen as a couple tricking poor Frumkin out of his biometrics. And the mission to steal the server was also fun.

We finally got to know Rex and Esther better, too. I should have been infuriated with Esther for not realizing that she was leading the bad guys right to Torchwood, but instead, I felt for her distress over her sister. And I actually started to feel for Rex, too. The homophobia is getting old, but you gotta love a guy who will valiantly dash to the rescue up thirty-three flights of stairs with a hole in his chest. Rex doesn't want to die, but he's starting to realize that if he solves this case, he will. I think that's why he went to see his father. That worked out well, didn't it?

Rex and Esther don't know that Jack used to be immortal. They think he's kidding. I think it's information they need, because Jack is indeed the key to what's happening. Although I think we all knew that already.

Bits and pieces:

-- We're all sci-fi fans, so we know where the title of this episode came from.

-- Torchwood is now in a shack near Venice Beach, not far from where I live.

-- Gwen did a really bad American accent. I don't think we've ever seen her do one before. Also fun.

-- We got a new and fun use for the contact lenses: retinal scan. Man, they can do anything.

-- Gold acting stars for Alexa Havins (Esther). If she hadn't been really good, this episode wouldn't have worked as well as it did.

Quotes:

Jack: "We're traveling circus folk."
Rex: "And he's the clown."
Gwen: "I'm the bearded woman, but I've shaved."

Bald tough looking guy: "By the way, if you get hungry, there's a cafe on the corner, does a guava jalapeno cheese tart that's just fabulous. Laters!"
Rex: "'Fabulous'? What is it with you? You make everybody around you gay."
Jack: "That's the plan."

Rex's father: "I don't want to live forever. Especially like this."

Danes: "I have risen with unending life. And I can promise all of you that same rapture."

Vera: "This is disgusting."
Jilly: (gleefully) "I know!"

Gwen: "Whoever wears heels to work is heroic."
Indeed. Heels should be worn while seated with your legs artfully crossed, in my opinion. Heels are meant to be looked at, not walked in. Can you tell I hate wearing heels?

Gwen: "Who the hell are you?"
Assassin: "Name's not important right now."
Gwen: "Oh, great. He's cryptic."

I'll let you guys rate this one. How many smooshed Tea Party evangelists out of four?

Billie

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The Ophiuchi Hotline

The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley
First published in 1977

[John Varley is my favorite science fiction author. This is my first review of his first novel. I haven't done a lot of book reviews, so be kind. :)]

It's six hundred years in the future, and the human race has been permanently exiled from Earth by alien Invaders that prefer cetaceans to humans. The remnants of humanity live on the moon as well as pretty much any airless rock and inhospitable planet in the solar system that can hold them.

The central theme of this novel is pseudo-immortality through the use of clones and mind recordings, explored through the life experiences of Lilo, a woman condemned to genetic death for the crime of tampering with human DNA. We follow several versions of Lilo around the solar system and eventually out beyond the orbit of Pluto to the Ophiuchi Hotline, which is a stream of valuable information that has been sent for four hundred years by unknown aliens to the human race, for reasons that no one has bothered to explore. At least, until the Ophiuchites present humanity with a bill for their services.

You might think it would be difficult to relate to a story that skips from clone to clone of the same person, but I never find it confusing. The development of Lilo as a character is key, and her courage in doing one of the few things that warrant the death penalty is central to the story. Lilo's different selves learn and grow in interesting parallels. Lilo is not the strongest of Varley's heroines, but she's certainly interesting.

And I love the way Varley treats gender and sex, particularly in this novel and in all of the Eight Worlds stories. Varley doesn't use sex change and the lack of sexual taboos to titillate his readers. It's just part of life. What would you do with your body if you could change pretty much anything? What if I could be a man for awhile, and not just through extensive surgery and hormone changes, but the man I would have been if I'd been born as one? I don't care what your sexual orientation is or how strongly you relate to the gender you were born with -- is there anyone that wouldn't be interested in finding out how the other half lives?

This is the first of Varley's Eight Worlds books, and the future world he describes has always captured my imagination. Like the laws that would be necessary for a civilization that is virtually immortal but also trapped and unable to expand. Like the "Disneylands", which are environmental terrariums of a sort where people can pretend they're living somewhere on Earth. I particularly love the null-suits that replace a lung and allow people to walk around in a vacuum or live on the more inhospitable planets in the solar system. It's exciting, even though it's somewhat depressing as well. Is there truly enough variety left in the gene pool for real change and evolution of humanity? I often get the feeling that the humans in Varley's Eight Worlds books are a dying breed that don't realize that they are.

The Ophiuchi Hotline has a fascinating ending, and I'm not going to spoil you. Even though it's his first, I believe it's also one of his strongest books. If you're interested in trying his stuff, it's a great place to start.

Here is more about Varley, and a list of his works.

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Groundhog Day

[This review includes spoilers.]

Phil: "What if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today."

Yes, it's funny. But there's also something Zen-like about Groundhog Day. Phil, a shallow, self-centered, obnoxious weather man from Pittsburgh, starts out as such a worthless human being. He goes through pretty much every possible internal change he can experience, and comes out the other side a different and much better person.

When he realizes that there are no consequences to anything he does, Phil initially has a grand old time -- eating like a pig, seducing a passerby, doing whatever he wants. When he realizes he might be stuck forever, he becomes suicidal and kills himself repeatedly. And then Rita becomes the focus of his existence. When he treats her as an object to be obtained and manipulates her with the knowledge he gains through many repetitions, she rejects him repeatedly because she can tell he isn't sincere. Phil starts to change when he begins to see Rita's innate goodness for what it is, and unconsciously starts to emulate her.

Just as if he went through stages of grief, Phil finally arrives at acceptance. He improves himself for the sake of improving himself, reading the classics, learning to play the piano and speak French. He studies medicine in an attempt to save the elderly bum, although he is ultimately unsuccessful. He establishes daily rounds in order to help others: the boy falling from the tree, the elderly ladies with the flat tire, the Heimlich maneuver at the party, buying insurance from Ned Ryerson. He absorbs the Golden Rule and embraces life to the fullest.

Deep down inside, Phil must have wanted to be a better person than he was. And in the end, he is. It's like God kept sending him back to the starting line until he learned how to be a good person. Isn't that the meaning of karma? To learn and grow through each lifetime in order to achieve perfection and harmony? I don't know if this was the writer's intention, but it's just beautiful. The change in Phil's soul is believable and genuinely heartwarming. And his reward is a return to normalcy, and someone to love.



All this makes it sound like Groundhog Day is a serious and deeply philosophical movie. It's not. It's extremely funny, and stays funny after repeated viewings. And it features an exceptional performance by Bill Murray, who shows that he is much more than just a comic. Andie MacDowell is also very good as Rita, who could have easily come off as a one-note character, but doesn't.

Groundhog Day is the perfect fantasy comedy. It's exceptionally entertaining and if you're looking for more in your movie, it's right there.

Bits and pieces:

-- Groundhog Day is a minor and rather silly American holiday. Both sides of my family are from Pennsylvania, although I've never been to Punxutawny. But it means something symbolically, too. If the groundhog sees his shadow, it's six more weeks of winter. For Phil, winter never ends until his "shadow" is gone.

-- This movie wasn't actually filmed in Punxutawney. Does anyone know where? Somewhere in central Pennsylvania, I think.

-- Steven Tobolowsky turns in a gem of a performance as Ned Ryerson. Bing! Am I right or am I right?

-- Phil and the groundhog have the same name. He *is* the groundhog.

Quotes: (and I restrained myself; if I missed one you love, feel free to post it!)

Phil: (doing the weather) "Out in California, they're going to have some warm weather tomorrow, gang wars, and some very overpriced real estate. Up in the Pacific Northwest, as you can see, they're going to have some very, very tall trees."

Rita: "You're missing all the fun! These people are great! Some of them have been partying all night long. They sing songs until they get too cold, and then they go sit by the fire and they get warm, and then they come back and sing some more."
Phil: "Yeah. They're hicks, Rita."

Phil: "This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather."

Phil: "Do you ever have deja vu, Mrs. Lancaster?"
Mrs. Lancaster: "I don't think so, but I could check with the kitchen."

Phil: "I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster, drank pina coladas. At sunset, we made love like sea otters. *That* was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get that day over, and over, and over?"

Phil: "What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?"
Ralph: "That about sums it up for me."

Rita: "Do you ever have deja vu?"
Phil: "Didn't you just ask me that?"

Phil: "This is pitiful. A thousand people freezing their butts off waiting to worship a rat. What a hype. Groundhog Day used to mean something in this town. They used to pull the hog out, and they used to eat it. You're hypocrites, all of you."

Phil: "You like boats, but not the ocean. You go to a lake in the summer with your family up in the mountains. There's a long wooden dock and a boathouse with boards missing from the roof, and a place you used to crawl underneath to be alone. You're a sucker for French poetry and rhinestones. You're very generous. You're kind to strangers and children, and when you stand in the snow, you look like an angel."
Isn't this just a beautiful way of saying I love you?

Four out of four Pennsylvania polkas,

Billie

(This is one of Billie's favorite movies.)

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Haven: Fear and Loathing

Duke: “In my experience when people are scared they either run or they fight. I’d start planning for both”.

Wow, things are heating up in Haven, literally. I really enjoyed this week’s episode. We got not one, but three types of weekly weirdness and some interesting tidbits in the overarching mystery.

Weekly Weirdness(es)

The central “troubled” person this week was a young woman named Jackie who brought out people’s worst fear when she looked at them. It is hard enough being a teenager, but having people running screaming from you has got to make it worse. This was an interesting trouble, but it was overshadowed by Ian’s ability to steal anyone’s affliction and his quest to gather the pieces of a horrible puzzle that can destroy the buildings its pieces represent. That is a whole lot of weirdness for one episode. Surprisingly it fit together well. And the puzzle brought us some history. People have been hating Haven for a long time. It also looks like Ian was not acting alone. I wonder where that money came from?

The Audreys

This week we got more questions than answers about the overarching mystery. Audrey has accepted that she is part of the town and the troubles, and is clear that Audrey II is the real FBI agent. Audrey's Agent Howard seems to be the key to the mystery of the two Audreys and he is leaving them clues. I'm not sure what is important about a book called Unstake My Heart (other than being amusing), but it was obviously significant. What really intrigued me this week were Vince and Dave. They obviously know a lot more than they are sharing and are not the affable old men that they appear to be. There is some bitterness between them as well. So much for my jolly, lovable, small-town newsmen.

I Can Feel Like a Real Boy

Another important piece was the lifting of Nathan’s affliction. It was obviously wonderful for him to feel again, but sad that all he got to touch were roses. Duke was kind enough (or sleazy enough - depends on your perspective) to offer him the company of some lovely ladies at Duke's expense. Duke is becoming more likable every week, but Nathan continues to be the stand-up guy and the white knight. His gift to Jackie was touching and very honourable. I guess that’s why he stuck to roses.

Bits and Pieces

There are new scenes in the intro. They were probably there last week. Not sure how I missed them.

Beattie managed to come to the memorial for Nathan’s dad. Helen is still around as well.

The Audreys were kind of cute together - “Remember spring break?”

We got one small bit of a New England accent with Ian - it kept popping up.

I wonder what happened with Vice Principal Delores Bachman?

Audrey is afraid of clowns (another reference to It or Supernatural :)) due to a bad funhouse experience as a child at a carnival in the fifth grade.

We never get to know what terrifies Nathan, but it looked like it was awful.

I’m really enjoying the music at the end of the episodes. It is usually by Sweet Talk Radio.

Quotes

Duke: “I want round-the-clock police protection. I pay my taxes.”
Nathan: “No you don’t.”
Duke: “Some of them.”
Nathan: “No you don’t.”

Vince: “They have draft root beer, the kind with extra vanilla.”

Duke: “I’m safety guy.”

Nathan: “Back when you kissed my cheek, it was the first time in years I’d felt anything. I hope you didn’t feel weird about it.”
Audrey: “Why would I feel weird about it?”
Nathan: “Exactly.”

Audrey: “Something weird is going on here.”
Nathan: “Bold statement.”

Vince: “Back at the bus station - that person that you thought you saw - your worst fear- was it Lucy?”
Dave: “No.”
Vince: “I’m sorry.”
Dave: “No you’re not.”

Nathan: “Not every day you can save an entire town, but it is happening more often lately.” ... Read full post

Warehouse 13: Love Sick

… in which Artie and Claudia investigate a potential artifact-related outbreak, while Pete and Myka get to play out their own version of The Hangover.

I liked this one. It was a bit of a strange mishmash, but I enjoyed all the parts. I particularly enjoyed the main plot with Claudia, Artie, Vanessa, and Hugo. The case was really intriguing, it was delightful to see both Vanessa and Hugo again, and I’m always a sucker for poignant character stuff with Artie. Especially with Claudia playing cheerleader and offering emotional support! I’m not usually one for romantic roadblocks, but I rather liked the tension between Artie, Vanessa, and Hugo. I especially loved that Hugo’s arrival and the reveal of his past with Vanessa led to that wonderfully bittersweet scene in which Artie confessed to Claudia that he’d given up on the possibility of love, until he met Vanessa.

Artie: “Given my line of work, and my advanced years, I had pretty much made peace with the fact that I would not find romantic companionship. A love. And then … Vanessa. And so, I started to hope. False hope, it would seem.”
Claudia: “Artie, it’s hope. How can it be false?”

As we’ve seen countless times, being a Warehouse agent certainly presents a serious challenge to romantic happiness, and it’s an issue with which I imagine we’ll continue to see all our agents struggle. Fortunately, as the ever-positive Claudia notes, hope remains. Notably for Artie and Vanessa. Yea! It was very nice to see Artie win the day and get the girl, especially after his selfless willingness to sacrifice his own happiness for Vanessa’s and Hugo’s. I really loved the sweet irony that Hugo’s drawing and his past with Vanessa were what led Artie to step aside, but were also the very reasons she wanted to pursue something with Artie. “When Hugo looks at me, he sees this girl. This young girl, she lives inside me somewhere, but … you know, she’s just a small part of me now. When you look at me, you see me.” Eeeee! (That’s Claudia’s squee of happiness!) I’ll be looking forward to more stories with Artie and Dr. Vanessa.

While I can see the connection to the romantic entanglements theme of the main plot, the “fun with artifacts” B-plot with Pete, Myka, and Jinks was so ridiculous it was borderline awful. I’m rather embarrassed to admit that it had me chuckling throughout. I guess, once in awhile, I just enjoy watching Pete and Myka banter and be childish together. After last week’s lingering tension and awkwardness, it was very nice to see them comfortably back in their old grove. And, of course, I’m much relieved that Pete and Myka didn’t actually sleep together. I’m even more relieved that the whole plot seemed intent on diffusing that “repressed sexual tension” notion completely. “We did not whammy each other, okay? And I will prove it, or I will die trying.” I was delighted that their insistence on not thinking of each other that way was played as quite genuine and not as the two of them being in denial. Pete’s heartfelt admission that he views Myka as his partner and best friend, and nothing’s going to change that, was quite lovely. And Myka’s later realization that she staged them being in bed together because she knew it would drive her to discover the truth would be hard to interpret as “I’m just denying my true feelings.” Although I guess you could spin it as she’d never let herself go down that path again, regardless of her feelings, because of what happened with her last boyfriend/partner. Sigh. I’m gonna go with Option A and choose to believe that, for all its over-the-top goofiness (they bronzed Jinks!), this storyline put the proverbial nail in the coffin of any romantic tension between Pete and Myka. Whew!

Other Thoughts

This week’s artifact was a necklace that spelled the Hebrew word for truth. Its power was linked to the Jewish myth of the golem, in which a clay figure was animated to appear human. Here, the necklace animated the inanimate by making a computer virus “come to life” and begin turning people into clay. Cool and seriously creepy.

Everyone teasing Artie about primping for Dr. Vanessa was great fun. I love that he was wearing the coat Claudia got for him!

Artie (to Claudia as she moves to block his exit): “Did I not leave enough food in your bowl?”

So Artie sleeps at the Warehouse, huh? Did we already know this? If so, I must have forgotten. And yet, I’m not surprised.

Myka: “There must be some simple explanation. Why you and I would be in bed. Together. Naked ... with Artie’s toothbrush?”
The toothbrush really kicked up the horrific awkwardness to another level.

Artie: “In fact, it was such a successful promenade, that I was thinking, perhaps, we should take it to the next level.”
Vanessa: “A jog?”
Artie: “Well, I could buy some shorts.”

Pete’s reaction to the news that Jinks is gay was hilarious! “Finally! Thank god, there’s someone to appreciate all this. It’s a waste of time working out for these people.”

Pete: “It is very hard to fire a ray gun in the movies. How many times you see a Stormtrooper hit what he’s firing at? Not once.”

Pete: “How come every other artifact makes me have to call my sponsor?”

Love the running gag about Jinks being a “poopy pants.”

Manager: “Your attitude just wrote one too many checks your butt can’t cash.”
Seriously? This line and the line delivery was soooo bad. The whole firing scene was pretty bad actually.

Interesting product integration in this one. Definitely not over-pimping the awesomeness of TigerDirect or its employees. Except for the assorted store signs in the background letting you know what they do.

Hugo’s drawing of young Vanessa reminded me of Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy.

Why didn’t Claudia just Tesla Tyler, instead of trying to jump across the gap between rooftops? It looked like she had an easy shot.

I had forgotten that Hugo went to Eureka with Fargo at the end of that crossover episode. I wonder if maybe we’ll be seeing him at some point in the back half of Eureka’s Season 4.

Artie: “I hope … that you know I wish you and Hugo nothing but the best …”
I love the way Saul Rubinek got caught a little on “I hope.” A very subtle and wonderful reference to his earlier conversation with Claudia.

Claudia getting all excited in the background after Vanessa kissed Artie was so much fun.

Looks like Team Evil is maybe building its own artifact-hunting crew, and Sasha Roiz is onboard! Yes! When I saw his name in the opening credits, I got super excited. After he still hadn’t put in an appearance by the halfway point, I figured he’d be part of Team Evil (since Agent Sally was in the “previously on” clips), and I got even more excited. Recurring status! Roiz was so awesome as Sam Adama on Caprica (one of the few parts of that show I never had any qualms with), and I hope they give him some cool, meaty stuff to do on this show.

Final Analysis: A bit awkward and messy at times, but an enjoyable episode, nonetheless. I hope we never again have to hear any nonsense about Pete and Myka being anything other than platonic. (I’m kidding myself, right?)

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Eureka: Glimpse

… in which Fargo and Dr. Marten begin interviewing candidates for the Titan space mission. Meanwhile, Jo and Carter test Zane’s latest development: contact lenses that allow you to assess the environment and predict security threats.

Well, this one wasn’t as high on the hilarity, but it still had a lot of nice little character things going on. It has apparently been five or six weeks since the last episode, and Holly has remained in town to work on the Astraeus project and help screen candidates for the 6-month, 20-person mission to Titan. Meanwhile, Jo and Zane have been getting very busy, Allison has continued to battle headaches, and Carter and Allison are happily settling into domesticity.

This week’s central disaster was an interesting twist on the usual pattern, in that Carter and Jo were attempting to avert a crisis before anything actually happened. And, ironically, the thing that clued them in to the threat was the thing about to cause the catastrophe. Didn’t see that one coming (no pun intended). I completely fell for the red herring with Dr. Dillon’s explosive canister, and was really surprised when he quickly debunked the theory. However, as soon as they cut to Dr. Parrish still in his lab during the evacuation, I knew the limacoid dormancy gel was going to be the solution to the impending meltdown.

While the overall disaster was reasonably engaging, what I really liked about it (as usual) was how the situation and the root technology helped to push the characters and the arc forward in small ways. By making her fear for Zane’s life, the PALS forced Jo to admit that all her “this is the last time” nonsense was just that ---- nonsense. Fargo, too, came to realize that he doesn’t need technological enhancements to impress a girl. All he has to do is be himself. He has grown into a truly competent and capable leader, and now he may be ready to extend that self-confidence to all areas of his life. Even Holly learned how to get past some of her social anxiety by leading part of the candidate interview process alone. And, of course, Carter and Henry are now aware that Allison poses some kind of security threat.

This final reveal didn’t bother me too much, because it was set up pretty well last week and by her strange flashes while reading. I guess the real question is whether Allison is unconsciously revealing confidential information to Beverly and the Consortium, or if she’s somehow going to be controlled by them into doing something dangerous. It will be interesting to see how that story is handled.

Of course, it still stinks that there is once again this external threat to Allison and Carter’s happiness. I much preferred the dilemma they faced this week. Allison’s opportunity felt like a realistic issue a couple might have to confront at some point, and it was nicely set up by her sharing her childhood dream of going into space in the half-season premiere. I very much enjoyed watching the two of them working through their conflicting emotions and ultimately finding ways to communicate honestly. Allison would, of course, feel seriously torn about the whole situation, given that she desperately tried to get into space camp as a child. And after finding out that Other Allison actually wrote and published the book she had never been able to tackle in her own life, it had to be even more tempting to try to realize this dream. Meanwhile, the prospect of doing the long-distance thing with Allison had to be particularly daunting for Carter, given what he just went through with Tess. It made his later willingness to support Allison’s dreams an incredibly powerful testament to how much he loves her. I suspect it was this willingness to let her go that ultimately convinced Allison to stay. When you find someone who stands ready to make that kind of personal sacrifice to give you the chance to pursue your dreams, you don’t leave him behind so easily. I’m also sure she wasn’t too eager to abandon, even temporarily, her newfound connection with her son, or to miss a significant chunk of her young daughter’s life (trust me, they change a lot in a short time at that age). I loved that her final decision wasn’t just about staying with Jack, but about keeping their newly developing family unit together and enjoy the life she has. Good stuff.

On the other hand, I was a bit perplexed by Jo’s behavior with Zane. Why on Earth would she insist that they “don’t work”? She was with him for roughly three years, loved him very much, and agreed to marry him. She then spent the first half of this season pining because she lost him. How is that proof that they don’t work? Is she just worried about losing him and getting hurt all over again? Is that why she’s trying to keep her distance emotionally (if not physically). At least this Zane is as insistent as Other Zane. “Sometimes a spark is all you need.” Keep pushing, buddy. Maybe in another three years she’ll agree to marry you.

Other Thoughts

The PALS were pretty creepy. I know the tech helped them avert several potentially catastrophic events, but I sort of hope the system was permanently destroyed. (Especially since they kept making me watch parts of the episode in slow motion so that I could read the threat assessment text.)

Yea, Dr. Parrish is back! Wil Wheaton plays his arrogance and bitter resentment so well. And this time it was nicely balanced with a project and an opportunity he seemed to genuinely care about. He wasn’t just being an ass for the hell of it, he had a legitimate beef with Fargo.

Carter noted that other female people “like my daughter” were involved in Jo’s situation with Zane. I guess Zoe and Zane aren’t officially done. Seriously?

Fargo: “Space isn’t for everyone Dr. Parrish.”
This one just cracked me up, given Wil Wheaton’s history with “space.”

Of course, Henry would be a candidate. “You know what I like about you? Everything!”

Holly: “There’s something comforting about knowing that all our human drama doesn’t amount for a blip in the universe. Out there, it’s infinite possibility.”

Fargo and Holly were cute together. I found myself smiling at her bashful acceptance of his original “off-the-clock” dinner offer, then again when she re-proposed the date. So, I was fairly bummed when Holly then backed out because the PALS revealed that her kissing Fargo would present a security risk. Ah, well. A relationship with a guest star is bound to end in heartbreak, so maybe better to nip it in the bud now.

Other Allison’s background might explain why Beverly and the Consortium have targeted her. Perhaps they knew about the impending mission (from contacts inside the government) and thought she’d be a prime candidate to go, so they bugged her.

Parrish: “First Fargo humiliates me, and now you won’t even let me masticate in peace?”
Carter (awkwardly): “Well, … not in public.”
Parrish: “It means to chew!”

Paused holographic Zane was freaky. Mostly because it looked like poor Niall Matter had to actually stand still for awhile and pretend to be a paused projection.

Stan Lee appearing as Dr. Lee and threatening to Hulk out was kind of funny, and kind of painful all at the same time.

Fargo’s confrontation with Parrish in his lab was a strong scene. I loved the reveal that Fargo’s granddad, Pierre, was actually quite successful in this reality, which allowed Other Fargo to live a life of entitlement. It certainly explains Dr. Parrish’s deep resentment and anger. Perhaps by giving Dr. Parrish another shot at the Astraeus Team, and then proving his worth by staying to fight for GD even when the outcome looked bleak, Fargo helped to ease some of the tension in that relationship. (But not all the tension. Parrish is a much more entertaining nemesis for Fargo than Larry ever was.)

Parrish: “Because throwing away my life’s work is so inconsequential! Especially to a spoiled Eureka legacy, who’s had everything handed to him.”
Fargo: “What are you talking about? I killed myself at MIT while everyone was out killing orcs and pillaging villages, and getting all sorts of … booty.”

I was having trouble remembering where I’d seen the actor playing Dr. Dillon (Donovan Stinson), but when I later saw the Warehouse 13 crew dealing with a manager in a big box store, it suddenly dawned on me that Stinson played Ted, the Work Bench manager, on Reaper.

Carter: “But this is your dream.”
Allison: “It was. But now this is. I have a great life here, and I don’t want to miss a minute of it.”
Awww! I loved this little exchange. It reminded me of a moment in Tangled that got me fairly choked up.

Final Analysis: Not as much overall fun as more recent episodes, but still very engaging, particularly on a character level.

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Twin Peaks: May the Giant be With You

“The mind revealing itself to itself.”

Even though the viewership for Twin Peaks dropped off fairly quickly in the second season, this episode—and many that follow it—are more tonally consistent with the lasting impression I have of Twin Peaks than many of the first season episodes are. This premiere is slow, meandering, so offbeat that it’s practically experimental atonal jazz, and filled with surreal moments, only some of which are relevant to the plot.


This episode’s opening sequence is one long joke: You want answers? You want resolution? Too bad. We’re going to take 18 minutes to get Cooper off the floor and into the hospital. Like any joke that depends on delay, though (I’m thinking of the clown joke), it wears out its welcome fairly quickly. This must have been the most maddening Season Two opener, back in the day.

In addition to the cheeky nod to this season’s narrative plan, though, the opening sequence also introduces to a key character in the Twin Peaks symbolic prosopography: the Giant. Like any guardian of the path to justice and knowledge, he speaks in riddles:

• There’s a man in a smiling bag. (The body bag that held Jacques Renault.)
• The owls are not what they seem.
• Without chemicals, he points.
• Leo locked inside a hungry horse. (He was in a jail cell in Hungry Horse, Montana the night Teresa Banks was killed.)
• One person saw the third man. Three have seen him, but not his body. One only, known to [Cooper].
• Cooper forgot something.


The riddles, like the protracted opening, is a meta-joke poking fun at the impulse in Season One to analyze every little bit of information. Twin Peaks is flaunting its impenetrable ambiguities while reminding us that we simply can’t know the answers until we’ve gotten more information.

Despite that meta-play, though, the mystery is still fascinating, and the Giant’s role in mythos of the show is deeply important. Right now, though, all we can dos is wonder: what is his relationship to the dwarf in the red room? Is the world’s oldest, tallest bellboy sort of an avatar of this more mystical being? Does the Giant speak truth, or is he trying to confuse Cooper? The Giant took Cooper’s ring, and promised to return it when he saw that the Giant was speaking truly. But do the answers to the riddles matter as answers themselves, or are they just the Giant’s proof of his own knowledge?

When speaking to Diane, Cooper said: “It’s not so bad as long as you can keep the fear from your mind.” Cooper’s attempts to resist fear—real fear—and meet the challenges that life throws his way with courage is the main tension of this season, and once you’ve seen the show’s final episode, that line has a truly ominous tone.

Equally ominous: the one-armed man has come to the sheriff’s department to…sell some shoes? His smile was weirdly evocative of Leland’s bizarre happiness. James revealed a key memory about Laura: in the middle of one of her “nutty” ramblings, she asked him, “Would you like to play with fire, little boy? Would you like to play with Bob?” What’s the connection between Bob and the one-armed man? That’s never really been made clear.

At the Palmer house, life has become even more bizarre. Not only has Leland’s hair turned completely white, he seems to have spent some portion of time hiding behind the screen in the living room. And he’s taken his love of music to the next level. (He does have a nice singing voice.) While Sarah seems to have calmed down a bit, Maddie is starting to hallucinate a strange stain on the carpet. Did Leland’s singing set off her hallucination, or is the brewing evil just becoming more apparent?

Just as Maddie seems to be changing somehow, Donna has gone all noir-crazy. Laura’s glasses, the smoking, the delightfully hardboiled speech with her locked-away lover—“When did you start smoking?” “I smoke every once in a while. It helps relieve tension.” “When did you get so tense?” “When I started smoking.”—are so affected that they’re utterly delightful from the perspective of a Hammett and Chandler fan. Does it make sense, for Donna to have changed overnight into a vamp? Maybe. She might be overreacting to what she sees as James’s interest in Maddie from the night before.

Bobby, too, seems to have changed. He’s a sort of incompetent, cruel teenager, but he obviously loves Shelley, even if he’s not great at consistently treating her well. His talk with his father was wonderful, and seems to have been a transformative experience for Bobby. Like almost everything Major Briggs says, his dream is worth reproducing in full:

“A vision I had in my sleep last night—as distinguished from a dream, which is mere sorting and cataloguing of the day’s events by the subconscious. This was a vision, fresh and clear as a mountain stream. The mind revealing itself to itself. In my vision, I was on the veranda of a vast estate, a palazzo of some fantastic proportion. There seemed to emanate from it a light from within this gleaming, radiant marble. I’d known this place. I’d, in fact, been born and raised there. This was my first return, a reunion with the deepest wellsprings of my being. Wandering about, I noticed happily that the house had been immaculately maintained. There had been added a number of additional rooms, but in a way that blended so seamlessly with the original construction that one would never detect any difference. Returning to the house’s grand foyer, there came a knock at the door. My son was standing there. He was happy and carefree. Clearly living a life of deep harmony and joy. We embraced. A warm and loving embrace, nothing withheld. We were, in this moment, one. My vision ended, and I awoke with a tremendous feeling of optimism and confidence in you and your future. That was my vision of you.”

We can interpret the while house in the major’s dream as heaven: his heaven is clean, well-designed, and contains his contented and fulfilled son. But this isn’t just the major’s place: the gleaming white palace might relate to the red room that Cooper dreamt of in Season One. There was a lot of talk about dreams in this episode, too—could there be a suggestion that Cooper is unconscious and dreaming all of this madness? Or, are dreams the only way we can access the metaphysical? The only way the mind can reveal itself to itself?


Clues, Questions, and Answers:

• Who shot Coop?

• Do Mattie’s hallucinations have significance for figuring out who killed Laura Palmer?

• What’s the connection with Meals on Wheels?

• Dr. Jacoby smelled burned engine oil when Jacques Renault was killed.

• Shelley and Pete survived the mill’s fire, but Catherine has gone missing.

• Audrey’s attempts to play girl-detective have led her into a Freudian hornet’s nest: she only narrowly averted sleeping with her father, or revealing to him that she was at One-Eyed Jack’s. Cooper had dropped her note under his bed—when will he remember what it says?

• Dr. Jacoby told his version of the events from the pilot, and how he came to have Laura’s necklace. He also theorized that Laura had wanted to die. Did she “allow herself to be killed”? Does that make her murderer any less guilty? No.

• Cooper and Albert outlined Laura’s movements on the night she died very clearly. The most important part: a third man (neither Leo nor Jacques) took Laura and Ronette to the train car and killed Laura there.

Bits and Pieces:

• Cooper: “Fortunately, I was wearing a bulletproof vest last night, as per Bureau regulations when working undercover. I remember folding the vest up, trying to chase down a wood tick.” Nature isn’t fate, but just like fate, it works against the civilizing influences that are here represented by the FBI, especially Cooper himself.

• Cooper: “I would like to climb a tall hill (not too tall) and sit in the cool grass (not too cool) and feel the sun on my face…I would very much like to make love to a beautiful woman who I had genuine affection for.”

• Albert: “You tell me: vigilante justice or just plain country living?”

• Cooper: “I don’t want any baloney, magic tricks, or psychological mumbo-jumbo.”

• Albert: “It’s what we call a three-hanky crime.”

• I love Albert, but I wish he hadn’t laughed at Big Ed, because I love Big Ed, too.

• The dish that Jerry Horne was describing. What on earth is it?

Despite its slow start, this is a great episode. The detection and revelations are neatly balanced by the surreal aspects that makes Twin Peaks so much cooler than most TV, and the montage as Ronette woke up at the end is horribly frightening. We’ve got a lot of great episodes to look forward to before the really bad patch starts. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

Four out of four trays of poisoned hospital food. It’ll kill ya quicker than most diseases.


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True Blood: Me and the Devil

Sookie: "I always knew there was decency in you, even when you were a smug, sarcastic ass."

This episode was a hoot. We got an upgrade in plotlines I initially thought were a waste of time, and a specific all-encompassing theme: parents, grandparents, great-great-great-great grandfathers, packmasters and makers, and I think we even got an ancestor in there. The whole parental gamut, as it were.

Matricide, patricide, and justifiable homicide

I don't plan to cry about the deaths of the horrible Mickenses, especially after they tried to chain, imprison and exploit their own son. Does Tommy have the emotional strength to survive something like this? At least he has a big brother who has experience concealing murders and getting rid of bodies. Gators like marshmallows. (What's that in Swedish? I was saying "krokodiler" all last week.)

It was smart of Tommy to go to Sam for help, and Sam showed Tommy some compassion by sharing the truth about his own murders. But Sam's coldness has been quite a turnoff for me, I must say; he showed no sadness at the deaths of both of his parents, or remorse for the two people he killed. If Tommy hadn't been sharp enough to masquerade as a gator, would Sam have killed Andy just as coldly?

Tommy can shift into his mother now, can't he?

A timely visit from Gran

Sookie went undercover to read Marnie's mind about Eric, and instead got a strong message from her Gran. And we got a vampire history lesson. Apparently, vampires had infiltrated the Catholic Church back in 1610, and at her execution, Antonia used necromancy to pull them into the light. No wonder Marnie is freaking the vamps.

The execution Bill had to carry out at the behest of the Authority makes more sense plotwise, now. Bill can't have Marnie killed. And Marnie genuinely doesn't know how to reverse the spells that Antonia cast (at least Antonia finally has a name) and I bet Antonia can never be compelled to reverse them herself. I wonder if Antonia is an ancestor of Marnie's? It would certainly be in keeping with the theme of this episode. Every time Antonia looks right at Marnie, I think her master plan is to switch places with her.

Grandfathers with lead in their pencils

Lafayette and Jesus, still terrified of Eric, are off to Mexico to visit Grandpa because Jesus wants that goat-killing power. Getting off on killing a goat doesn't make me feel all that good about Jesus. I still think Lafayette is the answer to the spells, not Jesus. I bet he's the only one more powerful than Marnie and/or Antonia.

Portia went through all of the arguments about incest and common DNA that we went through last week, and I was right; Bill can't do it because it's an emotional issue for him. He probably sees Portia as an extension of his daughter. I bet glamoring Portia will come back to bite Bill.

Makers

Godric returned in Eric's dream, although it obviously was less Godric and more the voice of Eric's conscience. Eric's amnesia and confusion have made him child-like. It was so sweet, him crying in Sookie's lap. And he was dressed like a teenager. Okay, a really large teenager with fangs. (Those shorts strike fear in no one, Eric.)

Speaking of innocuous clothing, Sookie spent most of the episode in a sweet yellow sundress, definitely in line with her new softness. (More like book Sookie, too.) Maybe she really is falling in love with Eric, even though her Gran just warned her not to do it, Eric is bound to change back at some point, and Bill is about to explode on her doorstep, catching them at some flagrante position or another. Damn. Hate it when that happens. Well, it hasn't happened yet.

At least we got passionate smoochies, initiated by Sookie, no less. How cute that they staged it on the steps so that the height difference wouldn't be so noticeable.

I was sad that Pam betrayed Eric. Was it just being freaked about her face? Maybe a little jealousy about Eric's affection for someone else?

Ghost daddy

The devil baby plot was actually fun this time. How did that happen? Maybe because Arlene has realized that baby daddy Rene is probably behind it all. Although the best part was Tara's horrendous mother and new stepdaddy prancing around the Bellefleur abode with burning sage unsuccessfully evicting evil from the corners. (Maybe they should try salt in the doorways.)

During the entire hilarious exorcism scene, baby Mikey was wearing a beret. Nice touch.

Okay, I can't think of a parental heading for this one

Jason is now free, healthy again, and rethinking his former habits, but his new dream theme isn't going to help that along at all. I could not stop laughing, especially when Hoyt showed up to coach from the sidelines. I bet Jason's conscience couldn't quite allow him to cheat with his best friend's girl, even in a dream and while under the influence of vampire blood.

Now all that remains is to wait and see what happens to Jason during the full moon.

Bits and pieces:

-- Did the title of this episode change? When I was looking for photos, they all said something else. [Actually, yes it did change. It was originally "I Hate You, I Love You" but it was changed to "Me and the Devil".]

-- Marcus Bozeman, Shreveport packmaster, stopped by to assert his authority, and Alcide refused to heel. Wonder what Debbie will do?

-- We met the four other Louisiana sheriffs, one of which was just out of range during Antonia's execution in 1610. I bet Antonia and Luis the sheriff are destined to meet again.

-- The burning sage and of course the magic shop reminded me of Buffy. Sookie mentioned Sabrina and Charmed, and Lafayette called Marnie "Witchy-poo."

-- Sookie kept Eric's presence from Tara. Surprise. I bet that friendship is over. And Tara's lies just got her in trouble with her girlfriend. It's too bad it was the least interesting part of this episode.

-- Bill's prison is a lot nicer than the basement at Fangtasia.

-- Andy is constantly encountering shifters in animal form, isn't he? Maybe it's his karma.

-- Since I've mentioned clothes, Sookie's pink nightshirt had angels on it. Really. Why was Eric in his cubby while it was still dark out? Did Sookie make him go to bed early?

Quotes:

(Standing over Tommy's unconscious body)
Melinda: "Is he dead?"
Joe Lee: "He's just resting."
Pining for the fjords, no doubt.

Hoyt: "You just saved my best friend's life."
Jessica: "It's all in the wrist."

Eric: "Am I evil?"
Sookie: "You're not Gandhi. But no, you're not evil."

Bill: "Good. The world needs more beekeepers."

Pam: "I can put up with a lot. But when you fuck with my face, it's time to die."

Jason: (as God) "You have fucked too many hot women. Now let's see how *you* like it."

Tommy: "It's in the Ten Commandments. Don't kill shit, don't fuck with your parents. I did both."

Bill: "In the 1600s, that was the Catholic Church. And today, as you all know, it's Google and Fox News."
There's a large vampire presence at Google and Fox News? That explains a lot.

There wasn't anything about this episode I didn't enjoy. Four out of four beekeeper veils,

Billie

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Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil

“You may not find the Master that easy to 'mop up', Brigadier.”

The Master has never been one to let failure get him down. Operation: Plastic Fantastic might have been a complete and total disaster but that's no reason for feeling downhearted. So quicker than you can say “reverse the polarity of the neutron flow” he's back and up to even more mischief. After all, tomorrow is another day... to try and take over the world.

I quite like 'The Mind of Evil', mostly because the Master is in it. Originally he wasn't supposed to appear, he was a last minute addition to the script after Barry Letts decided the character would feature in every story this season. Unlike 'Terror of the Autons' we get to see the Doctor and his nemesis actually interact with each other for more than just a single scene. And none of it feels like fodder for slash fans (yes, I'm making a sly dig at you, Russell).

In many ways, Pertwee's Doctor and Delgado's Master are like a comedy double-act (minus the comedy). The Master is the short, evil and charismatic one, while the Doctor is the tall, heroic and perpetually grumpy one. And, boy, is he grumpy. The Master is making a major charm offensive but the Doctor is in one of his moods throughout, constantly losing his temper and snapping at people, even when they've just come to his rescue (I don't know why the Brigadier puts up with him at times).

As much fun as it is seeing Worzel and Delgado act off with relish, this is a story littered with problems. In many ways 'The Mind of Evil' is very reminiscent of the grittier tone of season 7, leaving it feeling slightly out of place in the more light-hearted world of season 8.

The plot is like two separate stories that have been awkwardly mashed together into a single entity. On one hand you have a rather interesting tale of science gone wrong in one of Her Majesty's prisons that raises some interesting moral questions (is it really more humane to lobotomising hardened criminals rather than execute them?). And on the other we have a underdeveloped tale, one too reliant on lazy cultural stereotypes, about the Master trying to kick start World War III by blowing up a peace conference with a stolen nuclear rocket. What exactly he was planning to do with our freshly nuked planet once he'd taken over anyway is never made clear.

Due to this mishmash of storylines the plot has enough holes in it to qualify as a golf course. The Master's scheme is needlessly over elaborate and is dependent on some unlikely coincidences to succeed. The more you think about it the less sense any of it makes. Best not to try, really. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. That's what I did.

Notes and Quotes

--All six episodes of ‘The Mind of Evil’ currently only exist in black and white. The original colour tapes were wiped from the BBC archive. Efforts to re-colour the story are currently ongoing.

--Since this is meant to be a family show (You know, for kids) Stangmoor Prison is more Porridge than Oz with just a pinch of Prisoner Cell Block H.

--The Master's worst fear appears to be getting laughed at by a giant Jon Pertwee. Terrifying.

--The, frankly rubbish, dragon that attacks the Senator was nicknamed 'Puff' by the production crew.

--'The Mind of Evil' wins the award for the most reused cliff-hanger. Three times an episode ends with the Doctor being attacked by that phallic looking Keller Machine.

--Judging by the way he couldn't keep quiet during Professor Kettering's presentation, the Doctor must be one of those people who talk at the theatre. There’s a special level of hell reserved for people like him.

--The exterior of Stangmoor Prison is actually Dover Castle in Kent.

--The Doctor implies to Fo Peng that he's mates with Chairman Mao. Hmm, can't exactly see the Doctor being chums with the man responsible for the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural revolution.

--Besides being too delicate, Benton is also useless when it comes to covert surveillance. Might as well be carrying a sign that reads 'I'm spying for UNIT'.

Professor Kettering: “Science has abolished the hangman's noose and substituted this infallible method. Professor Emil Keller-”
The Doctor: (to Jo) “People who talk about infallibility are usually on very shaky ground.”
Professor Kettering: (to the Doctor) “For the benefit of the less sophisticated members of my audience I'll explain in very simple terms.”

Mike Yates: “Pity, she's quite a dolly.”
--Captain Mike Yates, everyone.

Professor Kettering: “I tell you that man's death had nothing to do with this machine. If you were a scientist you'd understand that.”
The Doctor: “If I were a scientist? Let me tell you sir I am a scientist! And I have been for several thousand-”

The Master: “You'll do nothing. Or I'll put a bullet through both your hearts.”

The Brigadier: “We are going to see the new Chinese delegate, Mr Fo Peng.”
The Doctor: “Fo Peng? He must be Hokien.”
The Brigadier: “No, no, Doctor. He's Chinese.”

The Doctor: “Thank you, Brigadier. But do you think for once in your life you could manage to arrive before the nick of time?”

The Doctor: “Well, it's a lunatic scheme. Still, that's only to be expected.”
The Master: “Oh come Doctor, how can I possibly fail. I launch the missile, wipe out the peace conference, the world is at war.”

The Master: “That is Thunderbolt. It's a gas missile, nuclear powered and British, of course.”
Mailer: “Of course.”

Two out of four magical dragons named Puff. ... Read full post

Torchwood Miracle Day: Dead of Night

"It's the perfect drug for the new world order."

We know more now. There's a vast conspiracy by PhiCorp to corner the painkiller drug market, suggesting that PhiCorp caused Miracle Day. But what humans could possibly have the technology to do something like that? It still feels like something alien is behind it. This is Torchwood, after all.

The Americanization of Torchwood continued, with Esther correcting a large number of Gwen's colloquialisms. Crisps are now chips, got it. At least I'm warming a bit to Esther. I enjoyed her bantering with Gwen while Jack and Rex squabbled for leadership of Torchwood and then went out and got laid at the same time. Although unfortunately, not with each other, which might have defused the tension between them. That double sex scene was probably intended to illustrate that Jack and Rex are a lot alike. Certainly more than Rex is ready to acknowledge.

(The guys are out getting laid while the women go back to the office and work. Typical.)

I had to think about the whole Rex/Jack thing for awhile before I realized what was bothering me. Rex treats Jack with disdain. To Rex, Jack is an immature gay man in his forties with an affected wardrobe and nothing important to contribute. But to us, the Torchwood fans, that's not Jack at all. He's a time agent from the 51st century, one of the Doctor's companions, an immortal who lived through World War II and deserves to wear that coat because he was there. Jack as a character has always been larger than life, and taking his immortality away has removed his supernatural gravitas. Yes, Jack experiencing mortality is an interesting way to go, and depending on how it's handled, it might work. But right now, I'm wondering if it was a mistake on the part of the writers. We shall see.

Jack is not only mortal now, he's melancholy and missing Ianto. I think Gwen's focus on her family is giving him pangs. Maybe that's why he went out and picked up that cute bartender. Jack enjoyed his hangover. It will get old, Jack. Trust me on this one.

Food shortages, drug shortages, changes in the laws on murder. Even the poets are going to be changed by Miracle Day, since they can't wax poetic about death. (I liked that one.) And now there's a new cult of the soulless. I'm sorry, but those masks don't strike fear or awe in me; it just makes it look like they worship the guy in the Jack in the Box commercials.



I've never been on board with the idea of Danes as a sympathetic character, so I'm glad it's now clear how utterly despicable he is. I have to admit that it's rather interesting that this unkillable monster is becoming the voice of the people, though. It works better for me that he's really the mouthpiece of PhiCorp.

Bits and pieces:

-- Sergeant Andy has "custody" of Rhys and Anwen. At least Gwen can relax a little about that situation.

-- Dr. Vera Juarez went under cover for Torchwood, in more ways than one. At least Rex has taste in his lady friends. And that dress she was wearing? Oooh la la.

-- There was an article in the horrible Blastr (I don't know why I'm still reading it; force of habit, I guess) that the BBC was planning to cut the Jack/Brad sex scene. It was intercut with Rex and Vera having sex, too, though. Could someone in the UK let me know if they kept Rex/Vera but cut Jack/Brad, or if all of it was cut? I didn't think there was much of a difference in the explicitness of the scenes. If the BBC cuts the gay scenes and not the straight scenes, I'll be really disappointed in them.

-- Jack insisted on using protection with Brad. At least Jack is taking his new mortality seriously. Imagine eternal AIDS, eternal syphilis. Eternal herpes. No, wait, herpes *is* eternal.

-- Is Rex's wound getting better? It sure doesn't seem to be. The warehouse of painkillers that Rex found must be important. It feels like their most important characteristic is that they don't make you sleepy.

-- The alien contact lenses were back. Definitely the most popular alien artifacts in the series. And rightfully so, since they're cool.

-- So the CIA itself isn't behind Friedkin. It's PhiCorp, right? Did they actually say so? I'm blanking it out.

-- Is Jilly evil? We still don't know. I'm deeply fond of Lauren Ambrose after her outstanding work in Six Feet Under, so I'm hoping she'll end up as another undercover agent for Torchwood.

-- The scenes in the abandoned house reminded me of the abandoned warehouse in Children of Earth, only smaller.

-- The scenes with American news are a bit more realistic now than the ones on Doctor Who and Children of Earth. It always looked so fake to me before.

Quotes:

Gwen: "This lemonade is flat."
Esther: "It's lemonade. It's supposed to be flat."
Gwen: "What, fizzy fizzy lemonade?"
Esther: "It's fizzy in the UK and flat in the US."
Gwen: "Just about sums it up."
And as she said this, I thought, did they really want to give us a line about why Torchwood is exciting in the UK but not in the US? Really?

Jack: (about the warehouse) "Bigger on the inside than the outside." A nice reference to you know what.

Doctor: "No baby is a mistake."
Dr. Juarez: "Yeah, I was a Catholic too, once. I got better."

Jilly: "Like it wasn't end of the worldy enough."

Rex: "You weren't impaled."
Jack: "You should have seen the other guy. Oooh, that face. Rex doesn't like his jokes too gay."

I'm not sure that new Torchwood is bad. I looked forward to this episode and enjoyed it, and it went by quickly. But I'm worried that it still isn't feeling quite right to me. Is it the American setting? The lack of Ianto? The focus on the dislikable Rex?

Two out of four masks with squiggly lines on them,

Billie

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Eureka: Ship Happens

… in which the town copes with the fallout from the ship’s arrival.

So, it turns out the ship that arrived last week was the Columbia, an unmanned interstellar exploration prototype built by Henry 20 years ago. Three years after its launch, the prototype went missing and the whole project was scrapped. Henry thought the ship was gone for good and never expected it to survive, much less find its way home. But since it was programmed to improvise, the Columbia did manage to survive. Moreover, it somehow adapted its pre-arrival signal to get the town’s residents to build it new landing facilities before it returned. Now the ship has brought home the knowledge it gathered during its 20-year voyage, which shockingly has been recorded in a cloned version of Henry’s lost love, Kim.

I thought the emotional stakes seemed high in the last episode, but ‘Ship Happens’ really took things to the next level. First, “Kim’s” return reopened old wounds for Henry and forced him to confront past mistakes. Then, to drive the stakes even higher, Zane comes dangerously close to dying, forcing him and Jo to get really real about their feelings for each other.

I was thoroughly delighted when Jo and Zane finally admitted they love each other. It’s been fairly obvious for awhile that these two are very much in love, but it was still a really huge moment for them to actually say it to each other. I’m so happy for Jo! Her sense of self has never depended on her relationship with a man (or lack thereof), but it’s clearly a connection she’s desired for a very long time, and I’m so thrilled that she’s found finally love with the right partner. So, naturally, I’m now terrified that some horrible fate will befall Zane. I know that Eureka is no Joss Whedon show, but the creative team still seems to have something against happy couples. See Exhibits A and B: Henry and Kim, and Stark and Allison.

On that subject, when Henry and Allison first started reminiscing about Stark and Kim, I thought it was just a really nice nod to the characters’ histories. Occasionally, the writers do remember the past, and I like that they allow Stark and Kim to remain a presence on the show. Of course, I should have realized this conversation was just prelude to bringing one of them back, but I was still completely shocked when the ship spit out its version of Romy (Andromeda) in the form of Kim.

Kudos to Tamlyn Tomita for creating a very different version of Kim, who was still quite sympathetic and affecting. I was surprised that Kim 2.0 seemed to exhibit emotions. I wouldn’t expect what amounts to a highly complex data recorder to have emotions (even though most of the A.I.’s in this town seem to be overly emotional). Then again, most of her “emotional” responses were in relation to Henry. Given that she was grown from Kim’s DNA and modeled on a detailed profile of Kim, it does make sense that she’d be “programmed” to respond emotionally to him.

In any event, this episode certainly offered a more nuanced and poignant exploration of a possible bond with an artificially created intelligence than we got last week. Even though the topic wasn’t explored too deeply, after the superficial treatment of Fargo’s relationship with his car, I was very pleased to see the show at least bring up the idea of what it means to be a “person.” I realize that Kim 2.0 is a very different entity than Tabitha, but I appreciated the emotional seriousness with which they tackled the subject this week.

Carter: “But … what is a person? Could there be a piece of Kim in there?”
Henry: “Scientifically? Impossible. [Long pause.] But don’t you think I’ve been asking myself that question since I saw her?”

I’m very curious to see where they go with Henry and Kim from here. Obviously, the two will continue working together to figure out a way to download whatever secrets of the universe the Columbia picked up on her 20-year voyage. But will he allow himself to fall in love with her all over again, even though she’s only a shadow of the real Kim? Will he have to lose her for a third time? I didn’t actually expect Kim 2.0 to survive this episode, and I don’t have a lot of confidence that she’ll be with us for long. However, the chemistry between Joe Morton and Tamlyn Tomita simply leaps off the screen --- how sweet and touching was the scene where he gifted her with a change of clothes? --- and the tragic poignancy of Kim and Henry’s relationship is undeniable, so I’m not too surprised the writers would want to milk this thing a little longer.

My favorite aspect of this episode was the ever-so-slight nod to Henry’s past actions in his scenes with Carter. I wish the writers had taken on this history more directly, because, despite all the memory flashes and hints that Jack remembered what Henry did to him last season, they’ve never truly addressed the mind-wiping or the rift in their friendship. They seem determined to have Carter hand-wave it all away, presumably because he understands Henry acted out of agonizing grief and he just wants his best friend back. Ultimately, I want the old Henry back, too, so I’m fine with the two men resolving their issues and moving forward, but it would be nice to actually see them working it out. That said, I’m willing to settle for the small scraps offered by this exchange:

Henry: “You know, we don’t have to save Kim … for me.”
Carter: “I know.”

To me, this brief moment read like Henry acknowledging the terrible things he did during previous attempts to save Kim and letting Carter know he’s truly changed. Then, Carter forgives him. Even if that’s not how the writers intended it, that’s certainly how Joe Morton and Colin Ferguson played the moment, for which I’m grateful.

Other Thoughts

OK. I’m officially digging the vibe between Tess and Carter. I really loved the hesitant but excited way she accepted the meteorite-watching date and the way he smiled to himself as she walked away. I’m now looking forward to seeing this relationship develop further. So, of course, the writers made sure to also throw in a scene showing the closeness between Allison and Carter. No easy paths to happy couplehood on this show. Sigh.

Allison: “Let’s take this one huge step at a time. Tess, is your bio-lab up and running?”
Tess: “Oh, yeah, but I was expecting a little more E.T. and a little less Henry’s ex-girlfriend.”

Allison’s having a little girl! “She’s likes excitement. Just like her mother.”

How fun to see Eli’s mom (Glynnis Davies, Stargate Universe) getting snippy about her toaster oven! “It’s bisque.”

Jo: “If Lieber says that boost converter isn’t his, I say we let Fargo and him settle it in a cage match.”
Carter: “I’ll put five bucks on Fargo. He’s scrappy.”

So how exactly did Kim saying the needle hurt tip Henry off that an organic computer virus was causing the electrical energy build up in Zane? I’m having trouble seeing the connection.

[Carter realizes Fargo didn’t return his boost converter.]
Carter: “Are you kidding me?!”
Fargo (sheepish): “What happened to respect for personal property?”
Tess: “What happened to trying to save people’s lives?”
Fargo: “Better late than never?”
Allison (sighing heavily and trying to explain to Tess): “He has some … good qualities.”

Tess (smiling as she watches Henry and Kim): “Oldest story in the world. Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy meets computer.”
Carter: “Well, everybody needs a hand to hold.”
Tess: “This is a really weird town.”

Final Analysis: Very strong episode. I’m delighted to have a version of Kim back, but long-term I can’t see this ending well for Henry.

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Star Trek: The Omega Glory

Cloud William: "Ay plegli ianectu flaggen, tupep like for stahn..."
Kirk: "And to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

I don't think anything can excuse "The Omega Glory". Episodes like "The Apple" and "Spock's Brain" are so campy that they've become somewhat fun to watch. But "The Omega Glory" is so bad that it's actually painful.

It started out so well, too. The deserted U.S.S. Exeter and the empty uniforms dripping chunks of crystals was intriguing as well as creepy, even though turning a crew into the contents of a Dustbuster seemed a bit familiar since it happened in the previous episode. But then we beamed down to the planet and were subjected to a way too familiar theme (the temptation of immortality) and a second way too familiar theme (someone from the Federation violating the Prime Directive and interfering with another culture) layered on top of American imperialism, the evils of communism and the "yellow threat". What's saddest is that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry actually wrote this travesty that outright contradicts the positive vision of a diverse future that he created in the first place. What was he thinking?

I love my country, and we have some inspiring founding documents. But what was our Constitution doing on Omega IV? If this had been a story set on future Earth after a cataclysm knocked us back to the stone age for a few centuries, the "holy words" might have made some sense. But on a planet with no connection whatsoever to our own? This was not only way past coincidence, it was like stating that the American way is the only good way and every culture (every white culture, anyway) is bound to arrive at this exact same form of government. It's not just offensive. It's bad science fiction.

The only fun bit was Spock as a servant of the devil. Was that a Bible they had there, too? I bet it was the King James version.

Ben says...

I have always loved William Shatner's reading from the Preamble to the Constitution. In a series which has forever been associated with his particular inflection and overacting, this reading was perhaps the best single moment. It works so well because Kirk reads it like a pop-culture biblical prophet (which is essentially his role here): "Look at these three words written larger than the rest, with a special pride never written before or since. Tall words proudly saying, We the People!" It makes you want to start chanting USA! USA!

Hey, I just realized that this episode is the basis of much of the philosophy of the U.S. Tea party movement. I think Glenn Beck may be borrowing his whole style from Kirk in this episode, the combination of the pedantic and the religious awe. After some research, I discovered what I consider incontrovertible evidence of the link between Beck and Trek:



I have nothing to add.

USA!

Okay, maybe just that.

Back to Billie for bits and pieces:

-- No star date is given. Planet Omega IV, and the deserted U.S.S. Exeter.

-- One red shirt (Lt. Galloway) is beamed down to the planet and disintegrated by Captain Tracey.

-- Spock was able to influence Cloud William's girlfriend/wife/whatever without touching her. This happened once before. It always bothered me because it was too much like a superpower.

-- Captain Tracey was played by Morgan Woodward, who was just as nuts as Simon van Gelder in "Dagger of the Mind," a much better episode.

-- The Yangs appeared to be wearing costumes much like those worn by the humans in Planet of the Apes. Which is in fact a movie where a story about "mangled holy words" might have worked.

-- The walls of the jail cells were different shades of purple. That's so true to life, because most primitive cultures paint their jail cells purple. They also tend to make the bars so flimsy that anyone can escape using just their bare hands.

Quotes:

Kirk: (re: the neck pinch) "Pity you can't teach me that."
Spock: "I have tried, Captain."

McCoy: "I've found that evil usually triumphs unless good is very, very careful."

One out of four tattered, improbable American flags,

Billie

All of our Star Trek reviews are archived here.
More about Ben here.
Photo credit: Memory Alpha

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Eureka: If You Build It ...

... in which town residents begin building a mysterious device out of a random assortment of items while in a trance-like state.

Yea! We finally got some honest-to-goodness forward momentum on the half-season arc! Plus, a doozy of a cliffhanger that left us with some genuine fodder for speculation! Woo hoo! Of course, I’m pretty much flummoxed by the final reveal of the episode, and haven’t a blessed clue what’s going on, but I’m very, very eager to find out. It was incredibly difficult to not dive right into the next episode before reviewing this one.

So, what the hell is going on here? Zombie Zoe tried repeatedly to reassure Carter that everything would be OK, and said the device was “helping a friend.” Who’s the friend? And how did an advanced spacecraft capable of high-velocity space jumps and mind-controlling the masses end up with United States markings? Where did the ship come from? Are we back to time travel and tears in the space-time continuum? And why the hell does Henry suddenly seem to be in the know? As soon as he heard the device was a “Boson cloud exciter,” he had some sort of realization and immediately took off for the landing site. He knew what he would find on the underside of the craft. But how? Is this arrival linked to something from his past? Did Henry suddenly remember something from previously living through these four years? (Fat chance, I know. I’ve pretty much resigned myself to the writers pretending all the timeline tinkering and mind-wiping from Seasons 1 and 2 never happened.) So many questions and so many fascinating possibilities.

Unfortunately, this intriguing A-plot was countered with a substandard and rather annoying B-plot featuring Fargo, Larry, and Tabitha, the A.I. for Fargo’s car. I might have enjoyed this subplot if it had actually attempted to delve into Fargo and his relationships a bit deeper. They could have explored the way Fargo’s social awkwardness leads him to develop significant relationships with artificially intelligent objects instead of people. They could have tied the story into his recent romantic connection with Julia, and potentially told a poignant story about him giving up artificial relationships for a real human connection, or something along those lines. But instead, all we got was some superficial “Fargo realizes he should treat his car better” nonsense, with some cat-fighting with Larry and allusions to Christine thrown in for “fun.” The whole thing essentially amounted to none-too-subtle product placement for Suburu and a stalling tactic to keep Fargo’s discovery about the device under wraps until the last possible second. Incredibly lazy and annoying. Especially when they kept cutting away from the interesting part of the story to show Larry and Fargo whining in the trunk. Ack!

But let’s get back to what did work this week. I really liked the more serious tone the show took with the main plot. The junk towers and the single-minded zombie horde were incredibly creepy --- much more the “disturbing X-Files weirdness” vibe the show used to employ, rather than the “amusing Northern Exposure quirkiness” it’s favored of late. Colin Ferguson is often the comic highlight of Eureka, but this week he brought tremendous weight to what could have seemed like a ridiculous zombie plot. Carter’s concern for Zoe and his sense of fear and helplessness really grounded the episode and made the stakes feel much higher than usual.

Allison’s hardcore demeanor also helped to raise the dramatic stakes this week. She’s certainly seeming much more competent as the head of Global these days. She’s become more proactive and decisive, with very little hand-wringing and waffling in recent weeks. I’ve been really impressed by her harder edges and her seeming willingness to do whatever it takes to protect Global’s and Earth’s interests. She’s no longer the insecure woman we first saw taking over Global back in ‘Try, Try Again.’

Tess: “Al, you’re letting this guy run wild.”
Allison: “I’m doing what needs to be done.”

It’s almost ironic that after becoming pregnant --- a condition you’d expect to soften any edges and make her more emotional --- she’s become much tougher and no-nonsense. On the other hand, after losing Stark and almost losing Kevin, it’s perfectly logical that carrying a new life might make her much more steely and determined to protect her loved ones and her community. At times, the new attitude makes her seem not as compassionate as she once did, but I’m glad to see the change. Without Stark or Eva around to take the lead at Global, Allison really needed to step up.

Other Thoughts

Coming from a transportation planning background, I got a real kick out of Eureka using a high-tech, “smart asphalt” network to automate driving. Of course, it was immediately obvious it was going to cause or otherwise tie into the disaster-of-the-week.

When did Erica Cerra, Niall Matter, and Neil Grayston get bumped up from “guest starring” or “recurring” status? When the opening credits got dropped? After the mid-season break? Regardless, congratulations!

I like the slower approach they’re now taking with the Tess and Carter relationship.

Tess: “Stakeouts are fun.”
Carter: “They’re more fun with, um, pepperoni, than with, uh, organic tofu.”
Tess: “You mean, ‘thank you for the pizza’?”
Carter (smiling): “That was ‘thank you for the pizza.’”

Loved the quick little update on Doctor Suenos. He’s been doing research on a zero gravity mattress up at the space station for the last year.

It took way too long for someone to realize the non-terrestrial signal was causing the trances. As soon as Henry mentioned that a radio signal could be the cause, Carter’s mind should have immediately jumped to the impending alien arrival.

So whatever happened to Fargo’s new girlfriend, Julia? Did she get redacted after her ethics review?

Fargo (trying out names for his new car): “Shanaynay lookin’ good!”
OK. This subplot did manage to elicit a small laugh from me with this line.

For me, the arrival scene really evoked movies like E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I’m not sure there were any direct homages in the staging, but something about the lights and the field setting reminded me of those movies.

I really loved Tess’s unabashed awe and giddiness and at the prospect of meeting an alien intelligence. The perfect reaction for a woman who used to work for SETI.

Allison: “Oh my god.”
Carter: “It’s one of ours.”

Final Analysis: A solid step forward on the half-season arc, but I really detested the Fargo subplot. Such a wasted opportunity.

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Haven: The Tale of Two Audreys

“They’re not freaks. Some people call them cursed. We call them troubled.”

It's a new season of Haven, and Audrey has decided that Haven is her place. This is somewhat complicated by the fact that there is another Audrey Parker, FBI, who I will call Audrey II. The season premiere was good on both the weekly weirdness and overarching mystery fronts. I’m glad I kept watching and I’m ready for this season to get curiouser and curiouser.

The weekly weirdness was a cross between “Inkheart” and Exodus. Haven gets hit with a serious of disasters that seem to follow the plagues that God was said to impose on Pharaoh’s Egypt to convince him to let the Israelites go. They missed a few plagues along the way, but generally these were well done. I particularly liked the flaming hail, but the dying of the firstborn sons was a bit cheesy. At least the “troubled” person, TJ, who just lost his wife in childbirth, was a sympathetic character. I wanted him to be okay. I guess he will have to be careful about what he reads in the future. While the Velveteen Rabbit is a great story--and who doesn’t like big fluffy bunnies? (well, Anya but that’s Buffy)--there are many children’s books that wouldn’t be so lovely if they became reality. I’m glad it was that book in the crib.

Moving Things Along

The larger, overarching mystery was moved along quite a bit. The Reverend Driscoll is recruiting for his “holy” war against the troubles, and Nathan is on the wrong side. Duke says he isn’t taking a side but it is pretty clear that he has become one of the Scoobies. The Chief, who died trying to hold Haven together, traveled around in a cooler in the back of Nathan’s truck for the whole episode, which displays both Nathan’s ambivalence about taking on the role of the town’s protector, and his difficulty in accepting that his father is dead. It looks like, with the chief gone, the balance of power has shifted. Maybe the chief kept the Reverend in line. I was glad that Nathan managed some closure by the end of the episode and that Duke was there to help him bury his dad.

Audrey II spends the episode being Audrey’s shadow, following her around, helping with the weekly weirdness and doing a great job of reminding us how strange all these happenings are, and how acclimatized to them Audrey has become. It is an interesting bit of casting for Audrey II as she looks like Audrey’s shadow - dark where she is fair. Audrey shared a story with Audrey II that makes it obvious that they share the same memories (and also let us know why Audrey became a cop). By the end of the episode, we are left wondering who the real Audrey is. I can’t wait for the second Agent Howard to appear.

Audrey II is not the only new character. Ryan Crocker, Duke’s ex-wife, has shown up in town looking to bring Duke in on a big job. Duke is not interested but Evi is sticking around. This should shake up the Duke/Audrey/Nathan triangle a bit. Duke and Nathan seemed to bond a bit over the death of Nathan’s father. It looks like the Scoobie triangle has solidified and we may have some new additions, at least for a few episodes.

Bits and Pieces

I thought I saw that Duke’s boat was called the Ryan Atlantic. I wonder if this has any connection to Evi’s last name - Ryan.

Vince and Dave are back. They were sweet as usual and they have handy, odd bits of land. I like them.

I am going to name-drop now. I was very surprised at the conclusion of last season when Audrey Parker II showed up. I shouted, "That’s Kathleen!" I know Kathleen Munroe - well really I know her mom but still...It is great fun to see her in shows that I watch. PS: her mom is very good at not giving away anything about shows, so I didn’t know that Kathleen was in Haven until I saw her on the screen.

Quotes

Audrey II: “I’ve never seen that on Animal Planet.”

Audrey: “Firstly, a tricorder is just for readings.”

Audrey: “I’m trying to get some units on the road to block him but they’re busy with the flaming hail.”

Duke: “Why does everyone think I want to help?”

Laverne: “Nathan honey, only the chief can order that. You need to call him.”

Audrey: “I’m not going to waste a perfectly good cooler.”

Evi: “Bug infestations, schizophrenic weather - how do you keep the tourists away?”

Duke: “Just so we’re clear - I’m the lion.”

Note

Just to let you know that in Canada I don’t get to see Haven until Monday night. This means that the reviews will be a bit late in coming. I will be continuing to put up reviews for last season at the same time as I review this season.
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