Once Upon a Time: That Still Small Voice

“I wish, I wish, but nothing changes. I wish I was better at wishing!”

Back in my review of the pilot, Patricia commented how these fairy tales were based not on the traditional tales, but on Disney versions. It made perfect sense then, especially considering ABC belongs to the House of Mouse, and it makes more sense now. If you don’t consider the song Jiminy Cricket sings in the animation, “When You Wish upon a Star”, the scene when Archie does it looks like a Deus ex Machina. Besides many, many references, we didn’t get much this week, though.

Last week I didn’t agree with how they made Rumpelstiltskin more of a villain than he was, but at least it made general sense. But this week? I get it: his parents were overbearing, full of emotional blackmail and whatnot. And I get it that he felt trapped. However, “I tried to turn my parents into puppets, but it fell through. I can’t leave them as I am, make me a bug so I can” is the kind of loophole that only a deranged mind could think is okay. I guess what they say is right: to be a shrink, you must be at least a little crazy.*

The best part of the episode, for me, was seeing Harry Groener again. The Mayor is my favorite Buffy villain, and Groener was at his usual amazing Affably Evil performance. Oh, and the references. This show excels at dropping allusions into the script. Consider this line,from Regina:

“I can cut you down to size until you're a tiny, shrunken little creature, and this (showing his umbrella) will be the only roof over your damn head.”

That’s very clever. And that shows Regina has a sense of humor, too, since she knows who Archie really is.

I also liked that he managed to stand up to his authority figure, which he couldn’t in FairyTaleLand. It’s a shame he did it through blackmail. It’s not a very heroic thing to do.

*Before anyone gets offended, this is what a student of mine who's a psychiatrist told me.

Bits and Pieces:

- The boy who plays Henry is really good, but don’t have him cry anymore, please.

- That Rumpelstltskin is behind every evil deed, isn’t he? I bet we’ll find out he’s behind the falling out between Snow and the Evil Queen as well.

- On the love story front, Mary Margaret is guiltily becoming a home wrecker.

- Are all fairies black?

- I’ll just mention that whatever is under those caves must be important. I’ll say more when they show more.

- Thank God Archie doesn't buy those cheap Chinese umbrellas.

- This is a link-heavy review, isn't it?

Quotes

Archie: “We make enough on the ticket sales. Do we have to steal, too?”
Martin “We don't need to, but it's nice. We steal from them, and they steal from someone else.”
Myrna: “It's called an economy.”
Martin: “We're a vital part of it.”

Henry: “You're a conscience. You help people see right from wrong.”

Regina: “Ms. Swan, this is now official town business. You're free to go.”
Emma:”Well, actually, I work for the town now.”
Awkward.

Two out of four towns with no crickets. ... Read full post

Eureka: The Story of O2

… in which the town celebrates “Space Week” with a rocket race around the moon, and Jo investigates the cause of Zane’s “sky cruiser” crash. Meanwhile, Carter visits Zoe at Harvard.

Four episodes in and still going strong! After pushing through the uneven back half of Season 3, it has been such a pleasure to revisit Season 4. All four episodes thus far have been fun, amusing, poignant, and, best of all, firmly rooted in character. I’m really impressed with how well the creative team has been balancing the disaster-of-the-week structure with the overarching exploration of the altered reality’s impact. Often in semi-serialized shows, the arc elements get attention at the beginning and end of an episode, while the middle focuses on the adventure/disaster/monster/client-of-the-week. But thus far in Season 4, the writers have allowed the psychological effects of the timeline changes to infuse nearly every scene and motivate our characters in believable and interesting ways. This week, all three of the main subplots --- Jo’s attempt to protect Zane, Carter’s surprise visit to Zoe, and Allison secretly enhancing her son’s rocket --- stemmed directly from the longing and insecurities created by the altered reality.

Jo desperately wants to believe that this “snarky jerk” version of Zane could still be the man she loves, so, of course, she can’t just let General Mansfield send him back to prison. “I knew a part of him that was good and honest. I have to believe that it’s still there.” She needs to latch on to any shred of evidence or the slimmest possibility of hope when investigating his crash. And she needs to take the chance that the good guy within will bubble to the surface when she gives him the chance to escape. “You don’t have to be that guy.” I was incredibly bummed when he told her she was wasting her time trying to help him and seemingly took the chance to skip town, but that just made the relief so much sweeter when it turned out he stayed to clear his name after all. Sweetest of all was Jo’s karmic reward for having a little faith in him: “Anyway, thanks, Jo Jo.” I know that she subsequently lost her house in the rocket crash, and that “everything pretty much sucks,” but at least she still has Carter and her friends. And she still has a glimmer of hope that the Zane she loves exists and could maybe love her again.

While Jo longs to recapture some of the happiness she’s lost, Carter and Allison live in fear of losing their connection with their children, which sometimes causes them to act rashly and interfere in their kids’ lives. Carter was the lesser offender this week, showing up at Zoe’s dorm room unannounced because he believed she’d reveal her true colors if caught off guard. He messed up her plans and unintentionally wreaked some Eureka-style havoc with his care package --- “And now I’m stuck in a bathroom, when I should be out with my friends!” --- but, overall, Carter’s “interference” in her life was pretty minor and very understandable. Carter worked hard to build a strong relationship with his Zoe, so of course he would need to see for himself that this reality’s Zoe, and his bond with her, weren’t substantially different. Fortunately, to his and our immense relief, he discovers that, while Zoe has grown into a confident and independent young woman, she’s still fundamentally his Zoe and their relationship remains strong and loving.

Meanwhile, back in Eureka, Allison went a little off the deep end trying to foster a positive atmosphere for mother-son bonding. In a rather eyebrow-raising move, she decided to steal, cheat, and lie to ensure Kevin’s victory in the rocket race. Because, apparently, “the agony of defeat” would have been too much for her son, somehow derailing their fledgling parent-child relationship. OK, then. I can’t quite decide if this is a believable turn for Allison, or another case of gross mischaracterization. I know that she would defy protocol to protect Kevin from danger, and she certainly would have destroyed the bridge device to prevent the restoration of the old timeline. She’s also suddenly been “presented with a completely different child” and has no experience parenting a normal teenager. But would the Allison we know really stoop to theft and cheating to maintain happy relations with her son? It seems completely irrational.

Then again, humans aren’t always rational creatures. Even the most logical person can occasionally succumb to fear, lust, envy, and a host of other powerful emotions. I’ve pondered the issue quite a bit in working on this review, and the thing I keep coming back to is the depth of Allison’s desire to have a connection with her son. She’s dreamed of being able to connect with Kevin for the last 13 years, and this opportunity that’s been suddenly dropped into her lap is better than she ever dared hope. In that context, I can absolutely believe she would go to extremes if she thought their new-found bond was threatened. No matter how irrational her fears might seem from the outside. And it isn’t like the show doesn’t acknowledge how crazy her actions are. Jo, Zane, and Grant are all completely bewildered as to why she’d do such a thing, and after Kevin and Larry completely call her out on it, she admits to Grant that she lost her head a bit. “What were you thinking?” “I wasn’t.” In the end, I feel like this was an irrational but believable move for Allison, and she learned a valuable lesson about who her son is and what it is really going to take to build a strong relationship with him: not clear skies and smooth sailing, just trust.

Other Thoughts

We got a small update on Henry’s evolving situation with Grace. Right now, he’s doing all he can to avoid potentially sticky romantic situations.

It was nice to see Pillar again. Are we supposed to think she’s still in high school? Given the year gap after the end of Season 3, that doesn’t make much sense.

This episode was directed by Colin Ferguson.

It felt like they were reaching a bit to include James Callis this week. I like his dynamic with Allison, but it seemed strange that he was suddenly everywhere Allison and Kevin were. I guess it makes sense that he’d have interest in the rocket race given his new role as GD’s science historian and his fascination with his brand new world, but his interaction and enthusiasm with General Mansfield felt completely out of place.

Jaime Kennedy was fun as a laid back and quirky scientist type --- “Word up!” --- but I enjoyed Wil Wheaton’s put-upon jerk a bit more. Dr. Ramsey’s terra-forming atmosphere processing (TAP) fluid was a pretty cool idea though.

I really loved Fargo and Larry running the launch at mission control. The slow reveal that they were sitting right next to each other was very funny. I also enjoyed Vincent mc-ing the race and running the wagering. It’s always fun to see Vincent get into things!

General Mansfield is a real dick in this reality. In the past, Mansfield has always seemed well-meaning, even while taking a hard line stance on things (except for that time he fired Carter). Here, he just seems like a menacing and controlling ass. I was glad to see Fargo stand up to the general on multiple occasions this week.

Deputy Andy is back! And with a new face! I really enjoy Kavan Smith in this role. He’s definitely a lot more chipper and robotic than Ty Olsson’s Andy, who always had a very natural positivity. Kavan’s Andy is far less “lifelike” than Ty’s, but I’m willing to accept that the reprogramming he just went through maybe altered his demeanor a bit. In any event, having enjoyed Kavan as Major Lorne on Stargate: Atlantis, I get a huge kick out of his entirely different persona here. I’ll miss Ty’s Andy, but this change works for me.

Jordan Hinson definitely looks a lot more grown up. I don’t really like the new hair, but it does make her seem more like a young adult.

We learned that Lucas is swamped at MIT and apparently too busy for Zoe. Sounds like an impending breakup to me.

Allison: “Honey, I just didn’t want you to be disappointed.”
Kevin: “I’d rather lose the race than win it like this! And you should know that about me.”

Larry: “Don’t scold me, Dr. Blake! You didn’t catch me putting TAP fluid in my son’s rocket fuel.”

Kevin: “Mom, you have to trust me, okay? And if we all burst into flames, you can ground me later.”

Final Analysis: And we’re 4-for-4 on the season. Fun premise, interesting disaster, and lots of good character exploration. Woo hoo!

... Read full post

Glee: I Kissed A Girl

Back at the end of Season Two, I was rather frustrated that Santana hadn’t come out. In terms of plot build-up, there was a lot of baking, but no cookies. Now I’ve eaten them, I’m missing the cookie dough...

Sister of Sapphos, friend of Ellen

Santana’s coming out story was one of the most signposted events of Season Three and I was justifiably looking forward to it. But perhaps I shouldn’t have gotten so excited. This episode should have focused on explaining just why Santana is so angry, and unable to deal with her sexuality - I wanted to see her home life onscreen rather than just hear by-the-by that her parents were fine with her coming out. Instead we got an episode focusing on people singing to her to make her feel better. I know the New Directions (plus the Troubletones) are one big happy family, but showering Santana with musical goodness for three songs was overdoing it a bit.

The sudden love that Finn seemed to bear for Santana this episode rather came out of the left field. It was justified by Finn saying that he felt deeply for her since losing his virginity with her, and also that he’d heard about a recent gay teen suicide that made him worried about Santana’s safety. Props to Glee for taking the issue seriously, but if they were going to bring that up, it would’ve had more gravitas if we’d found out Santana’s parents were homophobic and she actually did have a lot to deal with, which would explain her anger and vindictiveness as well as her previous inability to come out.

I suppose I should be thankful that there was at least one meeting with a disapproving family member, but we’ve never met Santana’s abuela before, and who knows if we’ll see her again. That her grandma seemed, pre-Santana coming out, to be very supportive and sweet (in a stereotypically Hispanic way) doesn’t do anything to explain Santana’s deep core of anger either. The scene was very isolated, without any follow-up. It was actually quite powerful, and felt very honest, but this plotline could have been so much more.

Puckorcoran, or Take the Baby and Run!

I sort of want to like Shelby and Puck as a couple, if only because the new, responsible Puck is growing on me hugely, but other than Beth and sexual desire, there seems to be no reason why they should work. Then there’s the age difference (ha), the teacher-student aspect, and the fact that Ms Corcoran seems to like Puck just because she can’t handle being a single mother. These are the reasons why the hospital scene and the post-coital tiff didn’t really do it for me. I thought we were onto something good when Quinn practically flung herself at Puck, and he sweetly told her she didn’t need a baby or a man to make her worth something, but I worry that any potential character development is going to be overshadowed by her anti-Puckorcoran feelings.

Ms B’s Beautiful Blues

Poor Coach Bieste always seems to be a tragic figure, but this week Glee really got it right by putting her in a situation everyone can relate to, a love triangle. Bieste is infinitely sympathetic, while we all love-to-hate Sue, so as bizarre as it might seem, the two coaches are actually perfectly matched love rivals. It would have been nice if Sue’s thing with Cooter had had some set-up, or if Coot had been given some character development instead of just being someone for Sue and Shannon to fight over, but it was still very satisfying seeing the Bieste stand up to Sue and declare her love for Cooter. Finally, empowerment!

Loved

- Sue’s journal entries always crack me up. Yay for David Boreanaz.

- The twist at the end with Rachel being unable to compete in Sectionals was a good one, I didn’t see it coming.

- Kurt’s uber-gay poncho-esque apparel. I especially liked the strange studded neck-thingy.

Didn’t Love

- What a misguided theme for the week. “Hey Santana, you’re about to get publicly outed! We’re going to sing songs by ladies, for ladies, because you must be aching for More attention right now”.

- Puck’s hair is too short to comb over, it just looks ridiculous. Everyone goes through a dodgy stage when growing their hair – I guess this is Puck’s! If it was a bit longer he’d look awesome like Tyler Glenn from Neon Trees.

- Tina’s dress during I Kissed A Girl. And she normally has such style. Maybe she doesn’t care how she dresses since she barely has more screen time than Sugar Motta and people are stealing her audition song...

- Will’s face during I Kissed A Girl. Stop it you pervert, and don’t encourage them!

- Brittany barely spoke, in an episode that focused on the girl she loves struggling with a difficult burden. That’s not right! Brittany is the only character I would really have liked to see singing her support of Santana.

- iPhone 5 product placement. Boooo!

- Well done Burt for beating Sue – Kurt, couldn’t you be a little bit more supportive? Why weren’t there more people at Burt’s campaign win celebrations?

- Brittany campaign to become class president by dancing in cheerleading/BDSM outfits, promising robot teachers and handing out sweets should be harmless and funny, but if Kurt’s loss has real fallout, then the manner of Brittany’s win matters too - it makes her look pretty callous and shallow.

Glee Against the Music
Pink – Perfect performed by Kurt and Blaine:
Kurt and Blaine singing this song to each other while gleefully skipping through fields of roses would be charming. Kurt and Blaine singing this song to Santana was just uncomfortable. We’ve seen zero Blaine/Santana bonding moments, and Kurt has never been particularly close to her either, so her negative reaction was quite justified! Vocally it was great. Grade B-

Melissa Etheridge – I’m The Only One performed by Puck:
Another awesome vocal – the song really suited Puck’s voice, and I suppose they should get props for choosing a proper lesbian song, but it was really only Puck coming onto Shelby, which I just can’t condone! Grade B-

Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Wanna Have Fun performed by Finn:
Grrrr! They did this song in the style of Greg Laswell’s cover, but Laswell, despite creating a truely innovative arrangement, will not profit. Adding insult to injury is that Laswell performs it far better than Cory Monteith, whose voice isn’t really pitched right for this version, he sounds a bit constipated. Santana inexplicably sheds a tear, despite the song having little personal relevance. The only upside was Artie’s harmony. Grade D

Dolly Parton – Jolene performed by Coach Bieste:
Bieste sings! This was actually a lot of fun, not just the sheer unexpectedness of the number but also the montage of Sue with hairspray and pumping iron with Cooter. Bieste obviously likes country, nice continuity from Blame It On The Alcohol there. Grade B+

Katy Perry – I Kissed A Girl performed by Santana and Rachel:
What? How is this remotely related to Sapphic pride?! Last time I checked, this was a song designed to arouse men, and I previously thought of it as pretty harmless but Glee, oh how wrong can you go? The falseness of all the girls being flirty and fake stroking one another jarred so badly with the female solidarity they showed to the rugby jerk who wanted to turn Santana. The sexual choreography, with Finn and Mr Shue clapping along, and Rory being so excited he was practically wetting himself, was diametrically opposed to the message that Santana is not interested in men. Santana’s just experienced fairly intense homophobia, and she seems over the moon about it. Quinn made the point that being a lesbian isn’t a choice, but the girls then act gay to turn on the guys. Not good. Grade E

K.D. Lang – Constant Craving performed by Santana, Shelby, Kurt and Rachel:
This was alright! But nothing to get excited about. Grade B

Quotes for Gleeks
Santana: “While there's nothing I'd love more than having two pretty ponies serenade me, I think we'd get further staging a gel-ervention for Blaine than singing lady music.”

Figgins: “Slushies are not on the school board’s approved list of suspend-worthy weapons.”

Sue: “If I wanna win this race, I need 20 cc's of man candy, Stat!”

Sue: “Why don't you hurry on to your next face-widening session at the John Travolta Institute for Head Thickening and Facial Weight Gain?”

Rachel: “Nobody cares. They’re all so lost in their own worlds that they can’t see how important this is to me. Elections have consequences and the consequence of Brittany winning this election is that I’ll have to move to New York without my best gay. What if I need an emergency makeover or a last-minute souffle?”

Beiste: “I'm so bummed out. I feel like I'm living one of those country western songs.”

Puck: “The advantage of a relationship with a younger dude is that I've still got four more rounds in me before I need a steak sandwich and a Coke Zero.”

Artie: “Where is Rachel? She never misses applause.”

Quote of the Week goes to Sue: “Why would someone assume I'm a Friend of Ellen just because I'm manish and I have short hair and I only wear track suits and I coach a girls' sport and I married myself?”


To paraphrase Rolling Stone, I Kissed A Girl and it was ‘meh’. Two out of four stereotypically Hispanic grandmas.
... Read full post

The Walking Dead: Pretty Much Dead Already

Dale: “I may not have what it takes to last for long, but that’s okay. At least I can say that when the world goes to shit I didn’t let it take me down with it.”

I was really hoping that Sophia wasn’t in the barn. And this episode was a different kind of intense than I expected. I spent a lot of time thinking about the title and how people live with the impossible. I think we all have those things. The things we say we couldn’t survive. This episode was full of those things. How do you go on when the woman you love doesn’t love you? How do you go on when those you love most have died? How do you live with yourself when you have to kill a little girl, one you think you’ve failed? I don’t think that Dale is the one who is pretty much dead already. I think he has been able to hold onto who he is even as the world crumbled. I think this refers to Shane and Hershel, who have been unable to move through the mess and keep themselves intact.

Scott Wilson as Hershel was phenomenal. You could read it all on his face as they shot the walkers. He had refused to accept that his loved ones were gone but he knew it somewhere. I don’t think it was shock that prevented him from taking the snare pole from Rick. I think he knew that what was happening had to happen but it will completely break him. And he must have known that Sophia was in the barn. Was he trying to protect the group by making them leave before they found out? A misguided gesture but one that I believe he would think was kind. He didn’t want them to have to live with any more of the pain that he was wrestling with and suppressing. The intelligence and complexity of the writing for this show impresses me every week.

I’ve also been impressed with the way this show examines masculinity. Shane is the hyper-masculine guy who saves your life but is a complete asshole most of the time. Glenn is sweet and kind but not stupid. He can save your life as well. Rick is the stand-up guy who is trying to stay civilized and do the right thing. Shane sees him as weak but Rick is the one who will save your life with his brain and he won’t just save his own, he’ll save the group as well. If you just look at things categorically then Shane is your best bet for survival--but will it be worth sticking around if all there is, survival of the fittest? The most recent anthropological research actually shows that one of the reasons that humans have survived and thrived for so long is because of altruism, because we take care of each other.

There were also some lovely relationship moments in this episode. Maggie challenging her father was powerful. There was pain in Hershel's face and it was obvious that he loves her. It appears that she has always been the child who challenges him. Glenn telling Maggie how he felt about her was sweet as only Glenn can be. Then there was the breakdown of Shane and Rick’s relationship. Shane doesn’t know that Rick is aware of his relationship with Lori. That’s one secret that wasn’t fully disclosed. But I think my favourite moment was the exchange between Carol and Daryl. He obviously isn’t used to having anyone care about him.

So we have a different kind of mid-season cliffhanger. It is all about emotion and the impact that this final scene will have on our survivors. I feel like they pressed pause in the middle of a scene and I can’t wait for them to hit play again. February seems like a long way off.

Bits and Pieces:

Glen, in true Glen fashion, just blurts it out that there are walkers in the barn. They do underestimate him. They were barely listening before that.

It seems like our little group hasn’t learned much. It was not a bright idea yelling and carrying on in front of a barn of walkers.

I love the egg in the hat. Maggie is my kind of woman.

Dale is much smarter and much more observant than anyone realizes. He knew that Shane was going to lose it. He sees a lot on top of that RV.

I can’t decide if I am glad that Dale didn’t shoot Shane. And Shane knew Dale wouldn’t do it. Maybe he should have shot him - in the foot maybe?

Loved some of the camera work in this episode, especially during the final scene.

Quotes:

Glen: “Why would you waste an egg like that?”
Maggie: “I think it was rotten.”

Dale: “Is that how you want to be, like him?”
Andrea: “He’s not a victim.”
Dale: “You don’t know him.”

Rick: “Your barn, your farm, your say.”

Maggie: “A new command I give to you, love one another as I have loved you.”

Glen: “I’d rather have you pissed off at me and alive than liking me and dead.”
Glen: “Secrets get you killed.”

Maggie: “It’s about you. It’s about who you are going to be.”
... Read full post

Merlin: Lancelot du Lac

“My name is Lancelot, my lady. I am yours to command.”

Wow! If ever proof was needed that this isn't the same silly little show it was four years ago then I think this episode was it. This was an absolutely fantastic episode, the best of season. And considering how strong season four has been so far, that is really saying something.

Lancelot and Guinevere's affair is one of the most famous stories in Arthurian mythology, perhaps the most famous. Considering that they've been making googly eyes at each other since season one, it was invertible that Gwen and Lancelot were going to hook up at some point. But I didn't think it would be like this. The epic love affair of legend becomes just one pre-wedding kiss in a dark room, for which, neither of them is entirely responsible for. The resurrected Lancelot is nothing more a mindless shade bound to Morgana's will (judging by her sly smile I bet she had some fun of her own after she brought him back), while Gwen was enchanted by the magic bracelet.

By using magic to bring them together, you'd be forgiven for expecting the old reset button to get pushed by the end of the episode. Many fans even predicted that Merlin would find the bracelet, expose Morgana's plot, exonerating Gwen so she and Arthur could get married and live happily ever after. But that's something season one Merlin would've done. This is the older, wiser season four Merlin. Season four Merlin is a show that is unafraid to shake things up a bit and deal with the emotional fallout. Praise has to go to Bradley James and Angel Coulby. They acted their little hearts out in this episode. Two well deserved Gold acting stars for both of them.

Even though this was mostly a character piece, there was still lots of room for action. The sword fight between Arthur and Lancelot was one of the series' best and the jousting tournament managed to look more grand and large scale than the one on Game of Thrones. I put this down to King Arthur not being in as much debt as King Robert. If Uther taught his son anything, besides magic being evil, it was how to effectively manage his kingdom's finances. This is why Camelot has managed to stay recession free since the days of the old religion.

Notes and Quotes

--Considering how close we are now to the season finale, I expect that Gwen's exile will be a short one.

--Is Lancelot dead for good this time? Unlikely. He's become the Rory Williams of Merlin. I'm certain he'll return to die another day. Again.

--Merlin, I know Gwen is your romantic rival but you could've at least given her a hand with that cart. More to the point, where was Eylan? Is he really man crushing on Arthur so badly that he would neglect his basic sibling duties?

--This is the fifth tournament to be held in Camelot. The previous ones appeared in 'Valiant', 'The Once and Future Queen', 'Gwaine' and 'The Sorcerer's Shadow'.

Arthur: “Guinevere has proved herself a valuable support and shrewd counsellor these past few months.”
Agravaine: “You don't need a woman for support, Sire. I am your counsel.”
Arthur: “I fear you have rather too much stubble to be my wife.”

Morgana: “There is one that can ruin King Arthur's plans, one that can come between them. We all have our secrets, and unfortunately for Guinevere I know hers, I know exactly how to destroy her.”

Agravaine: “How is it with our old adversary?”
Morgana: “He is learning fast. Soon he will know enough to convince everyone he is the Lancelot we all knew. I thought it would please me, moulding his mind. Instead, I feel curiously sad. He was once so mighty. Now he is nothing but a shade, I shall be sorry to see him go.”

Merlin: “If nothing else, it's certainly an original engagement present. Well, as romantic gestures go. You could have given her flowers, you could have had a song written, instead, you've given her two days out of each other.”
Arthur: “As it should be. My father had a tourney before his wedding. It's tradition.”
Merlin: “Ah, so it's not even an original gesture then.”

Merlin: “Mmm. The chicken is good. It's a nice broth. What do you know about necromancy?”
Gaius: “What?”
Merlin: “Well, you know lots... about lots of things, don't you?”

Arthur: “Then forgive me, because I must be really stupid!”

Arthur: “I love Gwen with all my heart. And I'm sure, in time, I'll find a way to forgive her. But I'll never trust her. I can't live like that, not as a king, and certainly not as a husband. Though it pains me... it's best that she's gone.”

Four out of four Rory Williams. ... Read full post

Ringer: That's What You Get for Trying to Kill Me

"Big sister's watching you"

Regular readers will probably be aware that I've had a complicated relationship with Ringer. There were times when I've thought it was genuinely absorbing and fun, then there were other times when I got entirely bored by the damn show. But as Ringer wraps up the first half of its season, I'm left with that general feeling that it's not exactly terrible. I don't think Ringer will ever be high art, and I don't even think the show is going to hit that stride of soapy awesomeness I really wish it would pursue but, for what it is, the show is fine. There were parts of this episode that really frustrated me, but it had a drive to it that I found weirdly entertaining.

If we start with the negatives, I was disappointed that Gemma really did kick the bucket this time. It felt like a waste of a good character, and made her entire disappearance seem a little unnecessary. Would it have made much difference if she had actually died several weeks ago? Sure, we saw Charlie's plan falling apart and here we saw how much Siobhan actually cared about her (as much an arch kidnapper-fraudster-attempted sibling-killer can care), but I'm sure the writers could have stumbled into those developments without dangling the possibility of Gemma's survival at us. Blah.

I'm also really bothered by the Juliet subplot. It still feels so unrelated to everything else on the show, and I'm unsure of what the writers actually want us to feel about it. I wasn't at all interested in a 'teacher-student fling' story, and I'm even less interested in a long-winded Law & Order-style 'teacher raped me' saga. Knowing this show, I'm theorizing that Mr Carpenter did rape her. But it doesn't excuse the weak characterization, as Juliet isn't at all acting like a real person, neither before nor after her maybe-assault.

Amber Benson's guest spot turned out to be more than a little underwhelming. I really think the show needs to fix up these Machado subplots. It's strange that while they are connected to the main premise of the show, they feel just as out-of-it as Juliet's high school problems. Maybe it's all the lonely police precincts and abandoned warehouses...

Onto the positive, I still really love Bridget and Andrew together. I had initially pegged that he would be revealed as evil right at the end, coming so soon after their first night together, but then I remembered this wasn't a Joss Whedon show where it's all misery, all the time. I know I always say it, but they have such great chemistry together, and it's great seeing them becoming closer as a couple in both a romantic sense and in an actually-trusting-each-other sense. Loved when Bridget broke down in front of him, all those weeks of elaborate cover-ups suddenly crashing down, and Andrew actually being there for her.

I don't think I'll ever love this show, but Ringer has been consistently interesting, even if most of the storylines bug the hell out of me. It has a weird tone to it, regardless of quality, where it always feels like there's something just around the corner. And while the results are frequently underwhelming, that something keeps you watching long after most sane people would have probably given up. Heh.

Notables

- I really did think that Andrew would say right at the end that the police hadn't found Gemma, the show making her pull a vanishing act again. It would have been ridiculous, but I think I would have preferred that over what we got instead.

- That Twilight line felt crazily artificial.

- I've never jumped on the Adele bandwagon, but that Rumor Has It song is intense. Adored the Glee version a couple of weeks back, too.

Quotage

Andrew: I wanted to say 'happy anniversary'.
Bridget: Thank you.
Andrew: Couldn't believe it's been six years. Feels like...
Bridget: Six weeks?

Charlie: You said so yourself, you need me.
Siobhan: I don't. You're a glorified babysitter who got way too expensive.

Gemma: (Braining Charlie with a crow bar) That's what you get for trying to kill me!

Previously posted at Unwelcome Commentary.
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Misfits: Episode Five (I Tell You, This is Not the End)

Rudy: "Oh, therapy... I love it."

After the mayhem and time travel of the past two weeks, tonight's episode was more a sedate traipse through character development territory. For the first non-Howard Overman penned episode of the series, I’d say tonight's offering was a success. Rudy's dialogue was as sharp as it's ever been, and provided some much needed relief during the occasional lapse in pace. We also bid a fond adieu to the notorious Shaun. (To his credit, he did manage to stay alive longer than his fellow probation workers.) So, for the most part, I'd say Jon Brown did a competent job. Which can only be good news for next week's similarly Overman-lite outing.

If tonight’s episode did have a weakness, it was probably the Jen storyline. It felt a little too much sci-fi by numbers. Nothing particularly unpredictable happened. Simon was right to draw our attention to the Freaky Friday parallel. The premise was a direct steal. Initially, I found Jen a difficult character to sympathise with. She seemed too selfish. Trapping Kelly inside a dying body, and then threatening to kill her to win Dom's love, didn't exactly endear her to us. And, despite Lauren Socha winning a BAFTA earlier this year, I didn’t feel as though she did enough early on to differentiate Jen from her own character. Jen felt like a watered down Kelly, with slightly less attitude, less swearing, and less humour. I would like to have seen them explore Jen and Dom coming to terms with their change in circumstances more. The dramatic possibilities were there. Instead, they both seemed to adapt to their situation with surprising ease.

But Jen's death did have poignancy. Bereft of her beau, and left to ponder her own loneliness and mortality, her hopelessness just about made us care about her death. Socha totally sold those scenes. After failing to impress early on, she seemed to relish the weight of the more reflective dialogue. Regrettably, her death was somewhat overshadowed by Shaun's unexpected exit. Those were some sweet parting words. ("You bunch of dicks, fucking superheroes?") It was only last week I was complimenting Overman on his decision to expand Shaun's character -- only for him to expand him right out of the series. It felt fitting they'd confess their secrets to him on his deathbed. Let's hope Shaun hasn't bought Nathan's old immortality superpower. Otherwise, their sudden willingness to share might come back to bite them on the backside.

Thankfully, Seth still seems pretty much part of Overman's long term plan. Will he ever catch a break? Last week he was captured by the Nazis. This week he was stood up by Kelly, and then attacked by a pathetically underpowered Rudy. Rudy's assault by Seth was probably the most pathetic fight scene I’ve ever seen. Despite his obvious enthusiasm for saving his own skin, Rudy almost ended up kicking his own arse. I liked that Seth was willing to risk all just for a chance with Kelly. Maybe it won't work out. But at least he's willing to give it a try. He finally seems to have accepted that Shannon won't be coming back. At least, not yet. There are still three episodes of the season left. Who knows what might happen?

With Seth now a fully fledged misfit, I can't help but feel anxious. Kelly's relationships have a habit of going spectacularly wrong. Remember what happened to Bruno? I'm tempted to reason that Seth can't die yet; he hasn't passed the ability to time travel on to Simon. This, of course, is operating on the presumption that Seth is unique in his ability both to take and to grant powers. Can we say for certain that superpowers are never duplicated? Kelly and Seth getting together has been a long time coming. It was Seth's planning and ability which saved Kelly from near death. It was he who risked his life disarming a murderous Jen. He totally deserved that kiss.

The conflict and confusion of having two Rudys is actually providing the show with some decent storytelling opportunities. But Rudy's weaker side really needs to assert himself more when sharing a body with his more overbearing self. On his own, he seems more than capable of making the right moral choices. If only he were more adept at managing his more aggressive self. Maybe he'd feel less guilty. Again, Gilgun did a great job of playing both Rudys with just enough subtlety for them to feel like separate entities. (Take note, Lauren.) Nice-Rudy may not have the one liners of his wise-cracking alter ego, but he's a far nicer person to be around.

With Shaun gone, I wonder who will take his place. It's a shame he had to die. All to protect Kelly from being wrongly implicated in his assault. What a gyp. His bewilderment at why Kelly would stab him ("What did I ever do to her?") was oddly affecting. It's hard to think of Shaun as having real feelings. Will anyone ever come close to his couldn't-give-a-shitness? I doubt it. RIP Shaun. You'll be missed. Assuming you stay dead.

Bits and Pieces:

-- I was surprised at Dom touching Jen's hand at the very end. What if she'd swapped personalities again and left him to die?

-- We now know Rudy's doing community service as a result of trashing his ex's car following their traumatic breakup. It's not as trivial as stealing Pick n' Mix, but it'll do.

-- When Jen complained that Dom didn't love her any more, she implied it was because she no longer looked like Jen. I felt like shouting "It's nothing to you with how you look. It's how you are. You're mental. Stop trying to kill people!"

-- Loved those scenes in the bar between Rudy and Kelly. A man who can spilt into two ruing his inability to find love, conversing with a woman trapped in someone else's body. What a deliciously messed up, yet oddly moving, conversation.

-- How could Alisha see everyone stood at the bottom of the bed when Jen spent the whole of the episode staring at the ceiling?

-- Rudy's terrible at lying. I was surprised Jen trusted him enough to follow him back to the community centre.

Quotes:

Rudy: "I've got myself geared up for dog shit here. I thought we were doing dog shit, man."

Kelly: "Fucking gardening!"

Rudy: "It's the law of the jungle. Kill or be killed."

Simon: "Have you been wanking?"
Curtis: "Do you want to say it a bit louder?

Rudy: "She couldn't wear flip-flops. Because of the web, she had no toe groove."

Curtis: "That's not Kelly."
Rudy: "No, she is sexy, though. Hmm? For a coma victim... she is."

Rudy: "Hang on... it's nothing. Carry on. It's all right."

Rudy: "This is like that film with Nicolas Cage in. Face/Off!"
Simon: "Face/Off wasn't a body-swap. They had surgery to look like each other."
Rudy: "Oh?"
Simon: "This is more like Freaky Friday."
Alisha: "Who gives a shit? What are we going to do about Kelly?"

Rudy: "Hello. I'm just visiting my grandad, and I'm pretty sure he's prolapsed his anus."

Shaun: "I can't believe I never picked up on it. You bunch of dicks, fucking superheroes?"

Seth: "So, I guess you stood me up."
Kelly: "I was in a fucking coma."
Seth: "Oh, that's your excuse, is it?"

... Read full post

Justified: Riverbrook

"Did you miss my heart on purpose?"

Not as strong as the pilot, but it was definitely quirky and fun to watch.

No hardened evil here, except for vicious "cousin" Dupree. Cooper broke out of jail because he wanted his stolen money, although he ended up wanting his ex-wife Shirley a lot more. Shirley wanted the money and Dupree, although by the end she realized that Cooper was a lot more important to her. And Dupree? Well, he did want the money and was willing to do terrible things to get it, and he reaped the whirlwind, or whatever. The takedown (by sharpshooter Tim this time, not Raylan) was awesome.

(I also thought it was fun that the couple that found the money in the floorboards had spent it all, and yet, it hadn't made them happy, either. As if we didn't get the "money can't buy happiness" point the first time.)

Again, it was the character moments that stood out, and not just Cooper and Shirley slowly realizing that how much they still cared about each other. Tim's description of his experiences as a Ranger sniper in Afghanistan was really interesting, particularly the bit about making up stories about their targets.

And Raylan was great fun. I liked the way he told Cooper a joke as Cooper was making him handcuff himself; it was a smart way of making himself human to a criminal who might kill him. Raylan managed to resist when Ava Crowder threw herself at him, too, although I doubt he has the will to resist her forever. (I was surprised when he actually did sleep on the floor.)

And it's hilarious that Raylan scared the crap out of Winona's new husband, Gary. It sure made Gary look like a total wimp, didn't it? Winona, tell me how you go from a man like Raylan to a man like Gary? Okay, maybe having a lawman for a husband and constantly worrying about him got old, but still.

Even though the takedown scene with the light switch was terrific, the strongest scene was the opener with Boyd. He refused pain medication until he could talk to Raylan, and said that he saw Raylan shooting him as an act of God, intended to set him on a new course. Was he being truthful, or trying to manipulate Raylan? Impossible to tell. Either way, Boyd is just fascinating. And Raylan's motivation for visiting Boyd was also unclear. Yes, Raylan was there because he had to pick up Boyd's idiotic minion Dewey, but I think he really does care a little about Boyd and truly wanted to see how he was doing.

Bits and pieces:

-- Shirley was played by Kristin Bauer, who plays Pam the vampire on True Blood. Love her.

-- Cooper was part of a bluegrass convict band called "Big House Boys" that wore costumes of old-time prison stripes. "Free Bird!"

-- There were Morley cigarettes at the convenience store. The X-Files lives.

-- Cooper asked if Raylan was a marshal like in Gunsmoke. Raylan replied, "More like The Fugitive." Yes, I think he does have something of a Tommy Lee Jones vibe.

-- Raylan's father's name is Arlo. We haven't met him yet.

-- Love Raylan's ratty motel room. It reminded me of all of the ratty motel rooms on Supernatural.

-- It was nice of Cooper to leave Raylan's hat in the car trunk, wasn't it?

Quotes:

Dewey: "Disney's got a lotta negroes and homosexuals working there, so I came back home."
Raylan: "If you're gonna talk, I'm gonna put you in the trunk and drive myself."
That entire scene was a lot of fun. Raylan very nearly lost him. Maybe he *should* have put him in the trunk.

Raylan: "How can you tell there's a bad drummer at your door?"
Cooper: "I dunno. How?"
Raylan: "Knock speeds up."

Art: (re: Raylan shooting two people in ten days) "If you was in the first grade, and you bit someone every week, they'd start to think of you as a biter."

Tim: "I gotta think, no matter how long you've been divorced, seeing your old lady shack up with someone else is gonna annoy the shit out of you."
He was talking about Cooper and Shirley, but he meant Raylan and Winona. Very funny.

Ava: "Can you just put on a little music and dance?"
Raylan: "Do you know why the Pentacostals don't have sex standing up? It could lead to dancing."

Rachel: "Gotta ask. Why the hat?"
Raylan: "Honestly? I tried it on one time, and it fit."

Three out of four bad drummers,

Billie

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Star Trek: Spectre of the Gun

"It's just bits and pieces. It's incomplete."

Definitely an entry in the bizarre category. You gotta give them credit for a creative leap, dropping the officers of a starship into a minimalist theater recreation of the old West.

There are things I like about this episode. Scott trying to inhale the smoke from the gas grenade. Spock's pedantic explanation of a fast draw. The force field at the end of town. The mind meld sequence and the final shoot-out with the thunder and lightning as the bullets impacted the fence behind them was also cool. Note that they didn't test Spock's theory by firing a gun at him before the shoot-out. It would have made sense, but might have seriously lessened the dramatic impact of the final gun battle.

But... (and you knew there would be a but) the basic premise was that the Kirk and company were being executed for trespassing, they were forced to be the Clantons in 1881 Tombstone, and that there was no escaping their fate. And yet, it was obvious in every scene that they were NOT in 1881 Tombstone: the red sky, the lack of walls, the floating paintings, the wooden actors. (Okay, they weren't actually made of wood, but that seems to be what the director was going for.)

This episode might have had more of an impact if they had actually filmed it in a realistic old West set. I believe there are, and were, a whole bunch of them in the Los Angeles area. (I know, I know, budget restrictions prevented it, but really.) The gradual realization that the scenario was unreal might have worked a lot better if the Tombstone scenario had appeared to be the real thing, if they thought they were truly back on Earth in 1881.

The result? They acquired a possible new ally for the Federation. But shouldn't Kirk have respected their wishes and just left the Melkots alone? Can't an alien race just refuse contact? Lives were nearly lost. Just saying.

Ben says...

This episode was the dream Carl Jung had while vacationing in Santa Fe with Freud and Georgia O'Keefe. Also I think they may have eaten a spicy anchovy pizza and smoked a Cohiba or two. Oh, and mescaline may have been involved.

But you know what really classes this episode up? The British spelling of "specter" in the title. Uh oh, clearly I am grumpy. I guess that's mostly because I expected this episode to be so much better than it was.

"Really," you ask, "why would you expect the O.K. Corral episode to be better?"

Well, I am glad you asked. This should have been about the collision of American archetypes: a mash-up of Joseph Campbell, frontier spirit, the space age and the Age of Aquarius. The crew doesn't appear as the Earps, they are the outlaws alluding to every outlaw from Robin Hood to Peter Fonda in Easy Rider. In this they are driven by a quest for freedom and understanding not by violence (particularly the structural violence of "the law"). It could have been bold and really gone places where Trek hadn't gone, archetypes talking to archetypes.

It had its bright points. They made lemonade from lemons with the Tombstone set. They apparently had no money for a full set and instead did this suggestion of Tombstone. It's probably the thing that works the best in the episode and further suggests we should be seeing the bold outlines of meaning on the frontier.

Sadly, the story and the resolution never quite bring the whole thing home and it just muddles along to a conclusion. Kirk still gets to kick Wyatt's butt, even though he knew he wasn't real with absolute certainty. Chekov is protected by the singularness of his horn-doggery. And we are left casting around for the point of it all. *sigh*

Back to Billie for bits and pieces:

-- Star date 4385.3. Melkot planet.

-- I really liked that when the Melkot beacon "spoke", everyone heard it in their own native language. Although why did Kirk's version have an English accent? Maybe that's where the British spelling of "spectre" came from.

-- Spock mind melding with Scott looked pretty funny. Kelley and Shatner sold it better.

-- Apparently, there were a ton of inaccuracies about the gunfight at the OK Corral in this episode. I guess that's okay, because it all supposedly came out of Kirk's head.

Quotes:

Sheriff: "They're a bunch of hot air, if you ask me."
Spock: "Are they really?"

Spock: "Is this a dead man, Doctor?"
McCoy: "Very dead, Mister Spock."
Kirk: "That's one thing we can be sure of, then. Death is real."

Spock: "Captain, since we have seen that death is the one reality in this situation, I seriously suggest you reseat yourself immediately without moving a muscle of either hand. If I remember correctly, that would involve you in what was called 'the fast draw'. It initiated unfortunate events."

McCoy: (re the dead Chekov) "There's nothing I can do, Jim."

Scott: (taking a drink) "It's to kill the pain."
Spock: "But this is painless."
Scotty: "Well, you should've warned me sooner, Mr. Spock."

There are better episodes, but there are certainly many that are worse. Two out of four fast draws,

Billie

All of our Star Trek reviews are archived here.
More about Ben here.

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Doctor Who: Carnival of Monsters

“The generators were built by the old Eternity Perpetual company. They were designed to last forever; that's why the company went bankrupt.”

Ahhhh, Robert Holmes. You magnificent bastard, how I have missed you. You've been gone far too long. Don't make a habit of it.

Thanks to Bob's gift for strong characterisation and humorous dialogue 'Carnival of Monsters' is a triumph of scriptwriting over budget limitations. Going in to season 10, Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks knew that this was going to be a big affair. So this story was intended to be made on the cheap so money could be saved for the rest of the big anniversary season. As a result the planet Inter Minor and its inhabitants end up looking even more rubbish than usual.

Luckily, thanks to the strength of Holmes' witty script, 'Carnival of Monsters' is able to overcome any budgetary shortcomings. This is probably the closet thing the Third Doctor era has ever come to doing a comedy episode. It's pretty obvious that Holmes isn't taking any of this even remotely seriously. The scenes on the SS Bernice practically play out like a parody of some dodgy Doug McClure movie, complete with corny dialogue, rubbish monster and token romance.

Sticking with the light-heated tone, this is also one of those rare classic stories where absolutely no one dies. Yes, just this once, everybody lives! Which is even more impressive considering that Robert 'Bloodbath' Holmes wrote it. This is a man who never created a character he didn't want to kill off in the most gruesome way possible for a Saturday tea time. It must've nearly killed him not to have a scene where someone is ripped to shreds by a Drashig.

Notes and Quotes

--The Doctor and Jo were originally heading for Metabelis 3.

--This story was actually produced as part of the previous season's production block and held over.

--Kalik is played by none other than Davros himself, Michael Wisher.

--He might speak cat and baby but the Doctor obviously doesn't speak chicken.

--This story was originally titled 'Peepshow', Holmes preferred title. Terrance Dicks later changed it to 'Carnival of Monsters' before production started.

--This is the only time the Cybermen appear during the Third Doctor era.

Jo: “We're still on earth, aren't we?”
The Doctor: “No, that's impossible.”
Jo: “Don't you ever admit that you're wrong?”
The Doctor: “No. That's impossible, too.”

Orum: "They've no sense of responsibility. Give them a hygiene chamber and they store fossil fuel in it."

Pletrac: "The function of this tribunal is to keep this planet clean. This Tellurian creature comes from outside our solar system and is a possible carrier of contagion. Furthermore the creature may be hostile."
The Doctor: "Would you kindly stop referring to me as "the creature", sir. Or I may well become exceedingly hostile!"

The Doctor: “Hello. Topping day, what?”

The Doctor: “Jo, get up.”
Jo: “Not yet. I'm only half-cooked.”

Pletrac: “This tribunal is deliberating!”
The Doctor: “The tribunal is not deliberating. The tribunal is arguing. Quite nonsensically, I might add.”

Vorg: “You're telling me, my insurance doesn't cover the replacement of livestock.”
The Doctor: “Livestock?!”

Vorg: “Our purpose is to amuse, simply to amuse... nothing serious, nothing political.”

Three out of four films you might remember Doug McClure from. ... Read full post

Dexter: Get Gellar

Dexter: "Travis is proving to be my penance."

Only Dexter would go alone into a dark hole after a serial killer.

Dexter was sublimating saving himself from darkness by trying to save Travis. So much for that, and for the teachings of Brother Sam. Dexter blew it by not seeing Travis clearly for what he was -- a serial killer who keeps seeing and talking with a father figure, and doesn't that sound familiar? As if that particular parallel wasn't stated clearly enough, Travis was confronting "Gellar" at the exact same time Dexter was arguing with "Harry."

I have to give them credit, though, because even though I went into the episode thinking Travis was loonytunes and working alone, every Dexter/Travis scene was so incredibly tense that I kept changing my mind. (Although it was a bit of a giveaway when we got to the hand in the sink. Gellar would have been way too invisible and diabolical to pull that off, pun intended.) To make it even more tense, Dexter kept taking the lead, with Travis trailing behind him. I kept expecting Travis to Gellar out and attack Dexter.

Hey, at least we know now, and it isn't even the penultimate episode of the season. Travis is young, strong, totally demented, and he knows what Dexter is. This could be an actual challenge for Dexter.

Interesting how they balanced this episode about a complete lunatic with Deb in therapy. I was actually wondering last week if Deb was planning to tell Dr. Ross about her past, and voila. When Deb started talking about Lundy and the Ice Truck Killer, Dr. Ross was doing her best to not look shocked. I laughed out loud.

People in therapy usually work though issues with their primary relationships, and often end up seeing those closest to them in a new light. I'm really looking forward to Deb discussing Dexter with Dr. Ross and then confronting him with what she learns. After Deb revealed that Dexter was Brian's biological brother but not her own, I thought for a moment that the Doctor was going to suggest that Deb was hung up on Dexter. I've always assumed they'd never go there, but it would be fascinating if they did. If it was done believably.

Deb finally stood up to LaGuerta. I wonder if LaGuerta wasn't at all upset about it; in fact, I thought she looked proud. Maybe she sees this as her way to taking Matthews' job.

Bits and pieces and hands:

-- So we had the severed hand in the sink, and ITK's hand in Greene's apartment. Interestingly, we had another suggestion of severed hands when Dexter axed the chain holding Travis's hands together. I'm sure this is all valid symbolism of something.

-- Greene's apartment was actually sort of creepy. And he's obsessed with serial killers. Maybe Jamie shouldn't have succumbed to his charms.

-- Louis Greene did the fabulous geek computer thing again. Doesn't Miami Metro have an IT department to do that stuff?

-- 2LOT. Sounds like it should have led to a numbered parking lot. That's where I thought they were going with the parking token. Did Dexter really find the next victim so easily, or did Travis just take the hint?

-- Loved Dexter on the phone pretending to be a burned out college student.

-- Travis stayed in the Colony Motel. Appropriate for a dual personality. The maid is going to be deeply unthrilled by what he did to the walls.

-- Dexter is now on Travis's speed dial. Dexter had better get that phone back.

-- That entire cast drenched with blood was pretty gruesome, like Carrie times whatever.

-- I could swear Olmos moved. What's with the production values on Dexter lately? And was there a pillow under Gellar's dead body? Maybe Travis was trying to make certain Gellar was comfortable.

-- Creationists claim that evolution contradicts the second law of thermodynamics. I hadn't heard that, but here is more info from Cornell if you're interested.

-- Did they have to make the atheist such an ass? You don't have to ridicule the beliefs of others to make a point.

-- I also didn't know that "the writing is on the wall" is from the Bible. Live and learn. Was that Travis's message to himself that it was over? If Gellar had decided to go through with killing Travis, would Travis have killed himself? Or would he have defeated "Gellar" in a fight?

-- Gellar's blog was at http://www.beginning-of-the-end.com. It redirects to the Showtime Dexter kill room page.

Quotes:

Deb: "Would have helped if my dad had paid me any attention. That's probably why I fell in love with someone twice my age. He was shot in front of me, did I mention that? I was probably looking for someone safer after being engaged to this really great guy that also turned out to be a serial killer."
Dr. Ross: (after a pregnant pause) "Would you like it if we started seeing each other more than once a week?"

Deb: "So he and Gellar either got the fuck out of Dodge, or they're holed up somewhere planning the latest installment of 'what the fuck'."

Masuka: "I understand the whole 'cowardly geek' response."
Greene: "I'm not a geek."
Masuka: "One bridge at a time, Louis."

Masuka: "When it comes to matters of the heart, always follow your dick."
Wow. Words of wisdom, indeed. There should be one of those tiny little books that you pick up in the book store near the front counter. Masuka's Obscene Words of Wisdom.

Quinn: "Omigod, we took pictures."
Maybe this particular MILF encounter will be enough to shock Quinn out of his increasingly idiotic behavior. I bet Angel is finally ready to stop covering for him.

Deb: "Are you saying that I chose to be with a serial killer on purpose?"
Dr. Ross: "I think you have a history of choosing inappropriate or unavailable men."
Well, the doctor's got that right.

Dexter: "Are we okay?"
Deb: "I have no idea if you are. I'm sure not, but I'm working on it."

This one wasn't as exciting when I watched it the second time and knew what was coming, but I thought it was very good. Three out of four severed hands,

Billie

All of my Dexter reviews are archived here.

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Fringe: Wallflower

“You understand right now how important it is to be seen.”

In one of the most famous passages of Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit, geist encounters another, and the interchange between the two results in geist evolving into a more mature being through the encounter and the struggle for dominance it creates.* No man, as Donne says, is an island. We must be recognized to recognize ourselves. We must recognize others in order to understand our relation to them and to the world we inhabit.


While geist doesn’t really refer to the English ghost in Hegel’s use of it, it’s hard not to see the polysemic possibilities when we apply Hegel’s ideas to “Wallflower.” Eugene is still in the early stages of emotional development—a ghost who can watch others but cannot be seen by them. Unable to engage in a dialect struggle, he is stuck in neutral, development-wise. His attempts to become visible are attempts to fully join the world in all of its interpersonal strife.

Eugene’s story was bittersweet. He got what he wanted: a place in the world validated by other’s experience of him. It’s both an epic, universal struggle and a deeply personal journey towards that simplest of desire—to interact with a beloved, to be recognized and to have one’s desire validated through that recognition. That final elevator scene was beautifully simple, and the score was incredible.

However, “Wallflower” was not meant to be the Fringe mid-season finale, and that World Series scheduling snafu makes this episode rather difficult to assess: it is clearly setting up something, but just what, and how we’re supposed to understand it, will remain undetermined until January.

Obviously, though, we’re meant to see a variety of parallels: Eugene, as the victim of a long experiment, doesn’t fit into society, just as Olivia feels as though her reactions to the bizarre are not as pronounced as those of her colleagues. Eugene is also struggling to make himself visible, rather like Peter’s gradual re-emergence in the early part of the season. Olivia and Lincoln are bonding, which reminds me of both Olivia’s much slower flirtation with Peter in the first three seasons, as well as Fauxlivia’s and Other L.L.’s ill-fated love. Eugene’s affection for the elevator even reminded me of Olivia’s journey Over There all those years ago—he’s trying to inhabit a changed world, changed by his presence.

All of those ideas are just glimmers of possibilities. We saw Peter toying with the machine blueprints: is he going to re-set the world yet again? What part will Olivia play, especially now that we know Nina Sharp has been messing with her mind? Is Olivia doomed to never, ever have a happy relationship? I’m rather unlucky in love, but even I don’t wind up getting kidnapped/shanghaied/moved to an alternate universe after every flirtation. What does it mean that Peter supports Lincoln Lee’s flirtation? Peter fully believes that these are not his people…but I won’t go into how disorienting that is again.

I will mention that the reveal that Nina Sharp isn’t as kind-hearted as she has seemed in this re-boot wasn’t much of a shocker to me: we’ve never trusted her. Olivia did, in this new world (if that’s what it is). But while that’s an interpersonal disaster and terrible betrayal for Olivia, it’s not for us. Again, I won’t reiterate the disorientation. I’m just going to trust that all of these questions will be answered, or at least clarified, after we return in January.



Science Has No Price Tag:

• Lincoln Lee: “There are basic truths that I thought were…true.”

• Peter: “You know, I’ve been investigating fringe events for three years. I never thought I’d become one.”

• Peter: “That’s not my Olivia.”

• Walter: “Leprechauns are possible.” I knew it!

• Astrid is in therapy.

• Eugene’s tokens: a symbol of holding onto something we can’t have? Is that another message to the viewer, like last week’s story?

• (My apologies for such a late review. Please blame my mother, not me: she held the massive family-reunion Thanksgiving this year, and I am her loyal servant and dedicated line cook, pastry chef, and errand-runner.)

Three and a half (?) out of four Octopi.

*I haven’t read Hegel in years, and I didn’t have the energy or time to make sure this is the most accurate explanation of that passage. (Plus, every time I read that passage, I get Depeche Mode’s “Master and Servant” stuck in my head.) Feel free to read some German phenomenology on your own and leave corrections in the comments!


... Read full post

The Walking Dead: Secrets

I’m sorry this review is late, but I’ve been suffering with a nasty flu that I hope is not the precursor to zombisism. If I don’t post next week you might want to get out your survival gear. The fever was pretty high.

Carl: “Everything’s food for something else.”

So what is the big fuss about zombies? I think humans are just used to being at the top of the food chain. We really don’t like being “food for something else”, not like anything else is really happy about having that privilege. I think this statement was a very telling indicator of Carl’s growth and acceptance of his new life. I think if Carl wants to shoot it's a damn fine idea (and I'm an anti-gun pacifist). He seems to have a better handle on the reality they are facing than many of the adults. Children are really adaptable and they adjust to many circumstances that the adults around them can't handle. In Western North America we have a very ethnocentric idea about what childhood should be like. It should be filled with happiness, comfort and care. Well there are a lot of children who have a very different experience, even in the US and Canada.

Daryl is a great example of this. His life has been pretty difficult but he still enjoys life and finds beauty in it. Maybe Lori should have asked him if her baby might have a life worth living. I sometimes find the western, middle-class expectations of life a bit annoying in this show. There are lots of people in the world already dealing with the dangers that our characters are experiencing. They don’t have food, water, or shelter and their lives are in danger every minute of the day. I wonder why there are no prime time dramas about that?

On the other hand, I was really happy that a woman’s right to choose was strongly upheld in this episode. Nobody should have a baby if they don’t want to but I was a bit concerned with Lori’s reasoning. Yes, the world has gone down the crapper but see my above comments. Lots of people don’t have “wells” of pleasant memories and they do okay. And maybe those “memories” are making a whole lot of trouble. Look at Hershel steadfastly refusing to face the reality of what has happened to his loved ones. He is living in memories. That barn is not particularly secure and the zombies from the housing estate are only 10 miles away. How long do you think the farm house is going to stay serene, especially with all the shooting and horn honking that is going on?

On the character development side I am liking Glen more and more each week. When he blurted out the secrets he was holding I laughed out loud. He is awkward in that twenty-something guy way, but as Dale says he has no guile. He is willing to put himself on the line because these people are his friends. He is smart and brave and a leader, but in his own way. Maggie’s freak-out just made it clear that the people on the farm have not really had to deal with the reality of “walkers”. I can’t say her responses endeared her to me but a little part of me wondered if she had a point. Glen does get overlooked. I still don’t know what to make of Shane. Is he is as big a jerk as Dale says? I sure wouldn’t feel very comfortable if I was Dale. I have to give kudos to Dale though. He tried to protect Glen by finding ways to let people know he had uncovered their secrets himself. He is also trying to get rid of Shane before the proverbial you-know-what hits the fan. He failed miserably on both counts.

We also got to see, one more time, that Rick is a stand-up guy. He knew about Lori and Shane. As soon as he said it I thought, of course he did, how could he miss it? But he didn’t make a fuss or lose it. He understood why it had happened. That must have been killing him all this time. Not to paint him in too good a light but I did wonder if he intentionally put Andrea and Shane together, knowing what might happen. I just love this show’s complexity.

Bits and Pieces

So you can kill zombies by burning them? So the napalm in Atlanta was a good plan?

Breaking the chickens legs was just mean. Isn’t it bad enough that they are going to be torn apart by zombies?

Glenn is a terrible liar. I love him.

It is Hershel’s family in the barn. That does make it a bit more understandable, though not less dangerous.


Quotes

Carl: “You’re a housewife.”
Lori: “Ya punk, ya see my house around here?”

Glen: “You trying to buy my silence with fruit.”
Maggie: “Of course not, there’s also jerky.”

Glen: “You need vitamins, medicine, a nice pillow.”

Glen: “You’re old, you know things.”

Tdog: “Oh come man, don’t give me that gangsta shit.”

Rick: “We’ll figure it out. Shouldn’t we at least try to figure it out?”

Rick: “I know. Of course I know.”
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Breaking Bad: Pilot

"It's easy money. 'Til we catch you."

Chemistry, Walter White tells his students, is the study of change, of growth, decay and transformation. Walt's life indeed changes drastically in the course of this pilot.

Walter White could be any one of us. For his entire life, he played by the rules of the so-called American Dream. High school teacher, good husband and father, a home in the suburbs. And then he committed the ultimate sin -- he got sick, and his life turned to shit. What is going to happen to his pregnant wife, his disabled son?

It's fascinating that Walt spends a lot of this pilot episode without his clothes. (The very first shot in the series is of Walt's pants flying through the air.) Walt's situation has figuratively and literally stripped him down to his core. And what does he have left? He has himself. He's brilliant, and has a serious gift for chemistry. A perfect storm of coincidence showed him a fast way to make a ton of money before he dies. Can we blame him? Is taking care of your family at the expense of others wrong?

I'm fairly certain I wouldn't make the choices that Walt does, but it's hard not to sympathize. When Walt finally released his rage and quit the car wash, attacked the man who ridiculed Walter Junior, blew up the dealers that hurt Jesse, I cheered for him. Circumstances unmanned Walt, and in some obvious symbolism, birthday sex with his wife Skyler was unsuccessful. In the final scene, again in bed with Skyler, Walt rose to the occasion. Breaking bad, turning to a life of crime, gave him his manhood back.

Jesse Pinkman, Walt's former student and partner in crime, is an exercise in contrasts. The first time we see him, he has lucked out of being caught in the drug bust, but promptly falls off a roof. He's smart enough to make money cooking, but stupid enough to have a vanity plate announcing who he is. Walt blackmailed Jesse into becoming his partner, but Jesse still sees Walt as his teacher. I think it's sort of hilarious that by the end of the episode, Jesse was still calling Walt "Mr. White." Jesse has the experience and the contacts, but Walt is undeniably brilliant, and immediately the senior partner.

Except that a life of crime is harder and more unpredictable than Walt expected. Walt took off his clothes before cooking because he wanted to keep out the smell, to keep his two lives separate. Instead, he lost the clothes completely, Jesse's former partners showed up with guns, and everything went nuts. That sequence with the frantic drive in the RV, with Walt half naked and wearing a gas mask is laugh out loud funny as well as disturbing. Walt recorded a suicide note and was ready to shoot himself, and the fire department arrived to put out the fire, completely ignoring the half naked man and the meth lab. Walt lucked out in the end. It's almost like a sign from God.

There is a lot of symbolism in this series. I'm not going to go nuts with interpretation, but I'll list what I notice. I'm sure I'll miss a lot. Feel free to post comments!

-- The show is set in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The blindingly bright, sunny backdrop is an effective contrast to the darkness of the story.

-- Veggie bacon is a perfect symbol of the unreality of the situation, and the boring state of Walt's marriage.

-- When the doctor tells Walt that he's dying, Walt stares at a spot of mustard on the doctor's white coat.

-- Walt sits by his dead, unusable swimming pool, lights matches and tosses them in.

-- Walt's last name is "white," which represents purity. I think it's hilarious that Jesse's last name is "pinkman".

Other bits:

-- Walt's marriage appears to be a good one, although the excitement has gone out of it. It's interesting that when Walt finds out he's dying, he doesn't tell his wife.

-- There is nothing wrong with washing cars. We all have to make a living. But it is humiliating for Walt to essentially grovel on the ground in front of his students. Teaching is an important job. A teacher shouldn't have to work two jobs to make ends meet.

-- Loved the car wash boss with the levitating eyebrows.

-- Walter has just turned 50. His wife Skyler is not yet 40. His son Walter Junior is 16.

-- Skyler has a sister Marie, who is married to Hank, a DEA agent. Hank is very full of himself, but I rather like him. Marie, maybe not so much.

-- The bystanders and supporting characters all appear to be less than human. Walt's students are defiant and disrespectful. The kids in the clothing store ridicule Junior.

-- Walt knocks out Jesse's ex-partners with phosphine gas. There's something rather cool geek superhero about that. Are they dead? What will Walt do with them?

Quotes:

Junior: (re: veggie bacon) "This smells like band-aids."

Walt: "Fuck you and your eyebrows! Wipe down this!" (grabs his crotch)

Walt: "Did you learn nothing from my chemistry class?"
Jesse: "No. You flunked me."

I wasn't sure what I thought about this pilot the first time I saw it, but in retrospect, it's outstanding. Four out of four slices of veggie bacon,

Billie

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Justified: Fire in the Hole

"Guess I just never thought of myself as an angry man."

Apparently, you can go home again. It just tends to be problematic.

This pilot began and ended with a tense, well-done gun battle confrontation over dinner. (Lunch. Whatever.) Way to start a series, guys. Although I remember when I first saw it, I was thinking it would be hard to make the show believable if there was an old-fashioned wild west shoot-out in every episode, it was still a smart way of making the violence real, just part of everyday life.

It's the characters that stand out in this series, which is probably why I enjoy it so much. Our leading man, Raylan Givens, is a principled lawman and a good person. And yet, at the end of the episode, he admitted that he was so angry about what Bucks did to an innocent man in Managua that he maneuvered the guy into a situation where he could kill him. Yes, he let Bucks draw first, but what would he have done if Bucks had just sat there? This show's biggest asset is Timothy Olyphant, a talented and dynamic actor, and Raylan Givens feels much like a modern day Seth Bullock, the character Olyphant played in the late and still lamented Deadwood. I'm sure that's no coincidence.

This pilot introduced two love interests for Raylan: Ava Crowder, who had a crush on him in high school, and his ex-wife, Winona, who left him six years ago and now works as a court reporter. Although we only got a brief scene, I liked Natalie Zea as Winona. Raylan obviously still cares about her and is comfortable with her, because at the end of the episode, he broke into her house :) and confided in her. She's the only one who knows why he killed Bucks.

Ava (Joelle Carter) was a standout. The lengthy scene where she told Raylan in such a matter-of-fact way how she came to the point where she had to kill her abusive husband was just outstanding. It told us exactly how desperate she was and how certain that he was going to kill her without once seeming pitiful. No tears, hysterics or melodrama, but the emotion was visible beneath the surface. I couldn't help but like her. Especially when she courageously intervened with a rifle when Raylan was confronting Boyd.

If you look in the dictionary under "complex character," you might see Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins). When we first met him, he was sporting a swastika tattoo and firing a rocket launcher into a church, making him about as despicable as they come. But as the episode progressed, we learned that he and Raylan dug coal together when they were nineteen, and trusted each other with their lives. That Boyd cares about his sister-in-law Ava, and has no desire to take revenge on her for killing his own brother. That his criminal career was almost certainly a result of a life of poverty and a lack of options. That the white supremacy garbage was most likely a front for recruiting minions to rob banks. And that the "church" he blew up was actually a rival drug den.

The title of the episode, "Fire in the hole," is the warning you shout when you're about to set off an explosion. It represents the connection between Raylan and Boyd. They're alike in many ways, smart, calm and determined, two sides of the same coin. The flashback to the two of them working in the mine made me think Boyd was going to die at the end of this episode. I'm glad he didn't.

Boyd outright killed one of his minions because he suspected the guy was a government snitch. When he learned that it wasn't true (moments later), he wasn't at all broken up about it. Was it because Boyd doesn't care who he kills, or because he doesn't care about killing a skinhead? Is Ava actually in danger from Boyd, or isn't she? Raylan missed Boyd's heart because consciously or unconsciously, he didn't want to kill Boyd. Intriguing.

In fact, the entire series is intriguing. Harlan isn't just a rural backdrop; there was discussion about the environmental issues associated with mining, the crushing poverty of the area, the lack of options for its people. The characters have accents, but they sound genuine and don't go overboard into caricature. And the dialogue is snappy and occasionally laugh out loud funny. What more could you ask for?

Bits and pieces:

-- Just as Raylan took out Bucks and Boyd over a meal, Ava Crowder also killed her husband while he was eating his favorite dinner that she just prepared for him.

-- Raylan's new boss and old friend Art Mullen had a Tombstone poster in his office. Let's just add to the shoot-out theme, shall we?

-- Two other new workmates were introduced: Rachel, who had a couple of fun lines, and Tim, who appears to be a sharpshooter.

-- Raylan was staying at the 38 Motel. Isn't that a gun caliber?

-- The office is in Lexington (I think), but most of the action took place in Raylan's home town, Harlan. The exteriors were filmed in Pennsylvania, not Kentucky.

-- Raylan's mother is dead, and his father sounds like a serious criminal type.

-- As it turns out, the character of Boyd Crowder was indeed supposed to die at the end of this episode. But the response to the character was so strong that the producers changed their minds, and asked Walton Goggins to return. Smart of them.

-- The wonderful theme song/rap is by Gangstagrass. If you're interested, the lyrics are here.

-- I love the hat, and how everyone comments on it. It's practically a character on its own. Not many modern men can pull off a hat like that and not look anachronistic. It also made Raylan look out of place in Miami.

Quotes:

Dan: "How's the hat? I was wondering if it shrunk, you know, got a little too tight, you had to take it off your head and now you're suffering from sunstroke?"

Dan: "You do know we're not allowed to shoot people on sight any more?"

Dan: "Let me put it to you this way. The weather forecast is for a shitload of shit raining down on this office from Washington. I'm gonna reassign you."

Raylan: "Concerned about me coming down here?"
Art: "It's a small office, Raylan. I'm concerned when we switch brands of coffee."

Raylan: "What'd he say, the fellow that got out of the SUV?"
Tim: "One said it was 'liars and hos'. Another heard, 'Time to go'. My favorite's 'Heidy heidy heidy ho'."

Art: "Fandi is Ethiopian by way of Jamaica by way of being completely full of shit."

Dewey: "Boyd! Boyd!"
Boyd: "What's all the fuss? They out of Velveeta?"

Tim: "Good luck in finding it. I tried to map it, got nothing."
Art: "Well, I guess some places haven't been entered into the system, like North Korea and Raylan's home town."

Raylan: (to Dewey) "Hey. If I was you, I'd give up this Nazi bullshit. Go back to poaching gators. It's safer."

Boyd: "God damn, woman, you only shoot people when they're eating supper?"

I don't tend to rate pilots, but this one was terrific and left me wanting more,

Billie

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American Horror Story: Rubber Man

"I'm not crazy, I'm just pregnant."

Happy Thanksgiving! And what better way to celebrate than with a bunch of graphic sexual violence! Ugh. This was the much-anticipated 'rubber man reveal' episode, and it sure was as gross as promised. The identity of the fetish baby-daddy was reliably squicky, with connotations I found deeply uncomfortable and scenes of forced intercourse that pushed this show into really horrifying areas. Sure, we had major grossness last week, but that was a whole different wheelhouse to the stuff that went down here.

It wasn't just the visual ugliness that kind of repulsed me, either. The driving force of this episode was the ghostly plan to make everybody believe Vivien is going crazy, and it took some sleazy denial from Violet to cement it all. Now, I liked Violet at one point. But sending your own pregnant mother to a psych ward so you can be with your new BF who, you know, shot a bunch of people that one time? Gross, Violet. Seriously. Poor Vivien, though. I feel like I'm saying that all the time, but girl's got it beat.

Constance wasn't around to provide some levity, but I loved the changing roles of the ghostly inhabitants of the house. Hayden really took charge this week, calling the shots and setting things in motion to get what she wants. I especially liked that great scene where she attacked Nora for her constant weeping ("you gotta knock this shit off!"). Similarly, Moira is becoming a real protector of sorts. I had initially pegged Nora as a good seed in the house, but she seems a little too distracted by the promise of a new baby. Moira, instead, seems to be Vivien's strongest ally at this point, and I adored that great monologue about The Yellow Wallpaper and the history of men writing women off as crazy to satisfy their own desires. Frances Conroy is incredible in this part.

Finally, Zachary Quinto returned. There was a lot less on-the-nose dialogue than last time, and we actually got to see a lot of Chad's pain. He's the classic 'wronged partner', desperate to please his husband with extreme methods, only to have it thrown back in his face. He and Vivien should really get together with some tequilas and bond over their mutual hatred of latex.

Rubber Man was a little much at times (especially Tate's second attempt at rape), but the major story arcs continue to be pretty wonderful. The characters on this show are so absorbing, even if you can't help but be disgusted by them every once in a while.

Notables

- No Jessica Lange or Denis O'Hare this week. Boo.

- When you're escaping ghosts in your house and then find creepy cultists hiding out in the back-seat of your car, don't run back into the house! Doesn't anybody know the rules??

- Creepiest moment of the week: Rubber Man scuttling past Ben on the stairs right at the beginning. Gah.

- To give this review a rapid change of tone, this episode was directed by Miguel Arteta, who directed an incredibly sweet movie this year called Cedar Rapids with Ed Helms and Anne Heche. I really recommend it.

Quotage

Peggy: Pat's a great guy, Chad, worth fighting for. And if that means that you have to fight with a cat o' nine tails and some titty-clamps well then, brother... gear up.

Hayden: Don't act so high and mighty with me, you old bat. I saw you feed her raw brains.
Moira: That was for her benefit!

Previously posted at Unwelcome Commentary.

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