Yet Another TV Review Podcast

Big Wolf On Campus episode list

2012-01-19T15:00:00.002Z

#01  Big Wolf On Campus
#02  Fangs For The Memories
#03  Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
#04  The Exor-Sis
#05  Muffy, The Werewolf Slayer
#06  That Swamp Thing You Do!
#07  The Bookmobile
#08  Butch Comes to Shove
#09  Witch College
#10  Stalk Like an Egyptian
#11  Cat Woman
#12  Stage Fright
#13  The Wolf Is Out There
#14  The Pleasantville Strangler
#15  Game Over
#16  Invisible Merton
#17  Time and Again
#18  Flugelhoff!
#19  Interview With A Werewolf
#20  Big Bad Wolf
#21  Scary Terri
#22  Don't Fear the Reaper
#23  Hello Nasty
#24  Commie Dawkins
#25  Apocalypse Soon
#26  Frank Stein
#27  The Sandman Cometh
#28  The Girl Who Spied Wolf
#29  Imaginary Fiend
#30  The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth
#31  101 Damnations
#32  Mind Over Merton
#33  Blame It On The Haim
#34  Pleased To Eat You
#35  The Manchurian Werewolf
#36  Manchu: Part Deux
#37  Mr. Roboto
#38  Rob: Zombie
#39  Fear And Loathing In Pleasantville
#40  Faltered States
#41  Butch Is Back
#42  Voodoo Child
#43  The Kiss Of Death
#44  She Will, She Will Rock You
#45  Anti-Claus Is Coming To Town
#46  Stone Free
#47  N'Sipid
#48  Play It Again, Samurai
#49  Hellection
#50  I Dream Of Becky
#51  Being Tommy Dawkins
#52  Save The Last Trance For Me
#53  Baby On Board
#54  The Mertonator
#55  Stormy Weather
#56  Everybody Fang Chung Tonight
#57  Very Pale Rider
#58  Dances Without Wolves
#59  The Boy Who Tried Wolf
#60  What's Vlud Got To Do With It?
#61  There's Something About Lori
#62  Switch Me Baby One More Time
#63  The Sum of All Fears
#64  What's the Story, Mourning Corey?
#65  Thanks

Production Order info from PigskinBaby @ IMDb

MY PICK OF 2011's BEST CLASSIC TV SHOWS I WATCHED REGULARLY

2012-01-11T22:44:00.000Z

1 The Rockford Files
2 Sliders
3 Alias Smith and Jones
4 Columbo
5 Barney Miller
6 The Six Million Dollar Man
7 How the West Was Won
8 Moonlighting
9 Logan's Run
10 Mission: Impossible
11 McCloud
12 The Avengers

TCM UK

2012-01-08T11:37:00.001Z

Now that TCM UK is showing old TV series, it seems like it would be a good home for The Name of the Game. tcmmailuk@turner.com is their email address.

I've written and said: "Has your channel ever considered this classic series? The Name Of The Game. Given it's high production values, feature-length episodes and high profile guest stars, it seems absolutely perfect for TCM."

Maybe if they get a lot of emails, they might pick the show up.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062591/board/nest/192972065
www.imdb.com

John Friedrich

2012-01-08T11:36:00.001Z

John Friedrich was terrific in the Baretta I just watched. It's a new name to me, but I see he made quite an impact in the late '70s/early '80s before 'vanishing'.

Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Hawaii's Best Newspaper

Knots Landing Season One Intro (Fan Made)

2012-01-04T20:05:00.003Z

MY PICK OF 2011's BEST TV DRAMAS

2012-01-04T18:03:00.001Z

#1 Friday Night Lights: Because the emotions felt real, every step of the way. Because I cried with/for those people and loved them. Because I don't know when a piece of fiction has affected me so deeply, or when I've been as proud to admit it. I come from a small town, too, (on the other side of the world) but I get it. The sports thing. Who would have thought you could do a TV series about that and make it deep and meaningful and compelling? 10/10

#2 Breakout Kings: Because of the ingenious premise and fascinating group dynamics (the best since Prison Break). The relentless action/violence is a big plus, too. The heroes are bad-ass and the show is a rush. 10/10

#3 The Good Wife*: Because Julianna Margulies steals every scene (frequently without dialogue) just on the strength of her serene presence alone. And I love rooting for Alicia to win. The show's stories are genuinely clever and they offer a fresh take on legal shows, I love the moral ambiguity of it all and the characters/cast are constantly given strong scenes/stories. Everyone is given a chance to shine. And they do. 10/10

#4 Damages: Because I am eternally fascinated by the mind-games these two women play with each other. Every conversation between them is like watching two chess masters do their thing. And it's cool to see two strong, intelligent women like this. Also: this season had superb bad guys (again), the death toll was high and the cliffhanger was jaw-dropping. 10/10

#5 Homeland: Because I didn't know from week to week what was going to happen next. Because I adore Carrie and desperately want her to be right and save the day, and because Claire Danes' performance is the best we've seen on television in a long while. 9/10

#6 Flashpoint*: Because there's a perfect balance between action and emotion. Very few shows can push my buttons and bring a tear to the eye, the fact that this one can while also having lengthy and exciting action sequences never ceases to amaze me. 9/10

#7 Human Target*: Because the hero is cool, and the show is fun and clever. I love the cast. The stories were either interesting or told in a manner that was interesting. And the OTT actions scenes were a blast. (Chance barrelling down the lift-shaft upside down, guns blazing, is one of the coolest things I've ever seen a TV action hero do.) 9/10

#8 Breaking Bad*: Because the two guys are cool, the actors are fantastic, the story in unpredictable, the visuals are unique, and there have been a couple of times when I have been stunned by something that just happened. 9/10

^{*NOT UP TO DATE WITH THIS SHOW}

MY PICK OF 2011's BEST TV COMEDYS

2012-01-01T16:01:00.001Z

#1 Community: Because it's so clever. Nearly every episode is like an 'event', waiting to see what Dan Harmon is going to come up with next . In many ways it raises the art of television storytelling to a new level. And it's funny. 10/10

#2 Happy Endings*: Because it's hilarious. And it hit the ground running (even more than Breaking In). All six characters are perfectly defined and cast. Any one of them can steal the show at any given moment (My feelings on who my favourite is changes from episode to episode). Finally: the pace. There's enough jokes in one episode for two episodes of anything else. Amahzing. 10/10

#3 Parks and Recreation: Because Leslie Knope is wonderful and I adore her. Also: the show is funny & clever, and the characters are unique. Ron Swanson who may be the coolest guy to hit TV since Fonzie! 10/10

#4 Breaking In: Because this show hit the ground running. Instantly cool, likable and hilarious. In particular Michael Rosenbaum was awesome. This is one of those few/rare shows where you constantly go back to rewatch certain scenes. And laugh every time. 10/10

#5 Rules of Engagement: Because it makes me laugh, loudly, for a half-hour every week. I like all the characters and all the cast, especially Patrick Warburton. I like the fact that, six seasons ago, it set out to be about something, and all this time later still is. And I really, really loved the Wendi McLendon-Covey story arc. 9/10

#6 It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia*: Because it's funny and unique. Because I love the way the show's stories are driven by these gloriously reprehensible characters diving into a different all-consuming passion/mission every week. 9/10

#7 The Big Bang Theory: Because it makes me laugh, loudly, for a half-hour every week. I like the characters. I relate to the characters (oh, boy, do I ever!). And... the show has done wonders with the female characters this year. I love that development so much. 9/10

^{*NOT UP TO DATE WITH THIS SHOW}

Grizzly Adams episode list

2011-10-31T18:13:00.001Z

#01*  The Life And Times Of Grizzly Adams
#02   Unwelcome Neighbor
#03   Beaver Dam
#04   Blood Brothers
#05   Adam's Cub
#06   Fugitive
#07   Howdy-Do, I'm Mad Jack
#08   The Tenderfoot
#09   Home Of The Hawk
#10   Adam's Ark
#11   The Redemption of Ben
#12   The Unholy Beast
#13   The Rivals
#14   The Storm
#15   The Trial
#16   Survival
#17   A Bear's Life
#18   The Choice
#19   Hot Air Hero
#20   Track Of The Cougar
#21   The Search
#22   Marvin The Magnificent
#23   Woman In The Wilderness
#24   The Orphans
#25   Gold Is Where You Find It
#26   A Time Of Thirsting
#27   The Seekers
#28   The Spoilers
#29   The Stranger
#30   The Runaway
#31   A Gentleman Tinker
#32   The World's Greatest Bounty Hunter
#33   The Littlest Greenhorn
#34   The Great Burro Race
#35   The Quest
#36   The Skyrider
#37*  The Renewal
#38*  Once Upon A Starry Night
#39*  The Capture Of Grizzly Adams

*movie

MP3 File

Wonder Woman episode list

2011-08-01T01:42:00.001+01:00

#01*  The New Original Wonder Woman
#02   Fausta: The Nazi Wonder Woman
#03   Wonder Woman Meets Baroness Von Gunther

#04   Beauty On Parade
#05   The Feminum Mystique, Part One
#06   The Feminum Mystique, Part Two
#07   Last Of The $2 Dollar Bills
#08   The Pluto File
#09   Wonder Woman vs Gargantua!
#10   Formula 407
#11   Judgement From Outer Space, Part One
#12   Judgement From Outer Space, Part Two
#13   The Bushwackers
#14   Wonder Woman In Hollywood

#15*  The Return Of Wonder Woman
#16   Anschluss '77
#17   The Bermuda Triangle Crisis
#18   The Man Who Could Move The World
#19   Knockout
#20   The Pied Piper
#21   The Queen And The Thief
#22   I Do, I Do

#23   The Man Who Made Volcanoes
#24   Mind Stealers From Outer Space, Part One
#25   Mind Stealers From Outer Space, Part Two
#26   The Deadly Toys
#27   Light-Fingered Lady
#28   Screaming Javelin
#29   I.R.A.C is Missing
#30   Diana's Disappearing Act
#31   Death In Disguise
#32   Seance Of Terror
#33   Flight To Oblivion
#34   The Girl From Islandia
#35   The Man Who Wouldn't Tell
#36   The Murderous Missile

#37   The Deadly Sting
#38   The Fine Art Of Crime
#39   Formicida
#40   Hot Wheels
#41   My Teenage Idol Is Missing
#42   Disco Devil
#43   Time Bomb
#44   Skateboard Wiz
#45   The Deadly Dolphin
#46   Stolen Faces
#47   Gault's Brain
#48   Going, Going, Gone
#49   Pot Of Gold
#50   Spaced Out
#51   The Starships Are Coming
#52   Amazon Hot Wax
#53   Phantom Of The Roller Coaster, Part One
#54   Phantom Of The Roller Coaster, Part Two
#55   The Richest Man In The World
#56   A Date With Doomsday
#57   The Girl With A Gift For Disaster
#58   The Boy Who Knew Her Secret, Part One
#59   The Boy Who Knew Her Secret, Part Two
#60   The Man Who Could Not Die

*longer episode (90m)

MP3 File

Average Man

2011-04-24T19:19:00.002+01:00

000                     All Gummed Up
001     Apr 05 1931     Rough House Rhythm
002     Aug 03 1931     Lemon Meringue
003     Oct 05 1931     Thanks Again
004     Dec 14 1931     Camping Out
005     Feb 22 1932     Bon Voyage
006     Apr 25 1932     Mother-In-Law's Day
007     Jun 27 1932     Giggle Water
008     Aug 05 1932     The Golf Chump
009     Oct 14 1932     Parlor, Bedroom And Wrath
010     Dec 16 1932     Fish Feathers
011     Feb 24 1933     Art In The Raw
012     Apr 21 1933     A Merchant of Menace
013     Jun 16 1933     Good House-Wrecking
014     Aug 11 1933     Quiet Please!
015     Nov 03 1933     What Fur
016     Dec 29 1933     Grin And Bear It
017     Mar 02 1934     Love On A Ladder
018     May 18 1934     Wrong Direction
019     Jun 29 1934     In-Laws Are Out
020     Sep 07 1934     A Blasted Event
021     Nov 16 1934     Poisoned Ivory
022     Jan 18 1935     Bric-A-Brac
023     Mar 29 1935     South Seasickness
024     May 17 1935     Sock Me To Sleep
025     Jul 05 1935     Edgar Hamlet
026     Aug 30 1935     In Love At 40
027     Nov 01 1935     Happy Tho' Married
028     Jan 03 1936     Gasoloons
029     Mar 06 1936     Will Power
030     May 08 1936     High Beer Pressure
031     Jul 10 1936     Dummy Ache
032     Nov 23 1936     Vocalizing
033     Jan 15 1937     Hillbilly Goat
034     Mar 15 1937     Bad Housekeeping
035     Apr 15 1937     Locks And Bonds
036     Jun 11 1937     Dumb's The Word
037     Aug 07 1937     Tramp Trouble
038     Sep 24 1937     Morning Judge
039     Nov 19 1937     Edgar And Goliath
040     Jan 28 1938     Ears Of Experience
041     Mar 26 1938     False Roomers
042     May 28 1938     Kennedy's Castle
043     Jul 15 1938     Fool Coverage
044     Oct 07 1938     Beaux And Errors
045     Dec 02 1938     A Clean Sweep
046     Dec 02 1938     Maid To Order
047     Mar 24 1939     Clock Wise
048     May 19 1939     Baby Daze
049     Jul 14 1939     Feathered Pests
050     Oct 06 1939     Act Your Age
051     Dec 08 1939     Kennedy The Great
052     Feb 09 1940     Slightly At Sea
053     May 03 1940     Mutiny In The County
054     May 25 1940     'Aint Legal
055     Sep 06 1940     Sunk By The Census
056     Oct 18 1940     Trailer Tragedy
057     Dec 20 1940     Drafted In The Depot
058     Feb 21 1941     Mad About Moonshine
059     Apr 04 1941     It Happened All Night
060     Jun 06 1941     An Apple In His Eye
061     Sep 15 1941     Westward Ho-Hum
062                     I'll Fix That
063     Dec 19 1941     A Quiet Fourth
064     Feb 20 1942     Heart Burn
065     Apr 13 1942     Inferior Decorator
066     Jun 05 1942     Cooks And Crooks
067     Aug 14 1942     Two For The Money
068     Oct 30 1942     Rough On Rents
069     Dec 18 1942     Duck Soup
070     Feb 05 1943     Hold Your Temper
071     Mar 26 1943     Indian Signs
072     May 14 1943     Hot Foot
073     Sep 17 1943     Not On My Account
074     Nov 12 1943     Unlucky Dog
075     Jan 07 1944     Prunes And Politics
076     Mar 03 1944     Love Your Landlord
077     Mar 28 1944     Radio Rampage
078     Jun 26 1944     The Kitchen Cynic
079     Oct 23 1944     Feather Your Nest
080     Jan 05 1945     Alibi Baby
081     Feb 23 1945     Sleepless Tuesday
082     Jul 13 1945     What, No Cigarettes?
083     Aug 10 1945     It's Your Move
084     Sep 07 1945     You Drive Me Crazy
085     Oct 19 1945     The Big Beef
086     Dec 07 1945     Mother-In-Law's Day
087     Jan 25 1946     Trouble Or Nothing
088     Jul 12 1946     Wall Street Blues
089     Jul 26 1946     Motor Maniacs
090     Sep 20 1946     Noisy Neighbours
091     Oct 18 1946     I'll Build it Myself
092     Dec 18 1946     Social Terrors
093     Feb 10 1947     Do Or Diet
094     Jun 20 1947     Heading For Trouble
095     Jul 18 1947     Host To A Ghost
096     Aug 15 1947     Television Turmoil
097     Nov 21 1947     Mind Over Mouse
098     Jan 02 1948     Brother Knows Best
099     Feb 06 1948     No More Relatives
100     May 14 1948     How To Clean House
101     Jun 26 1948     Dig That Gold
102     Aug 16 1948     Home Canning
103     Oct 01 1948     Contest Crazy

Info from WayOutWest.org

Q&A with Pamela Sue Martin and Parker Stevenson

2011-03-27T15:56:00.001+01:00

Kojak

2011-02-02T18:18:00.011Z

#001*  The Marcus-Nelson Murders

s01e01   #002   Siege Of Terror
s01e02   #003   Web Of Death
s01e03   #004   One For The Morgue
s01e04   #005   Knockover
s01e05   #006   Girl In The River
s01e06   #007   Requiem For A Cop
s01e07   #008   The Corrupter
s01e08   #009   Dark Sunday
s01e09   #010   Conspiracy Of Fear
s01e10   #011   Cop In A Cage
s01e11   #012   Marker To A Dead Bookie
s01e12   #013   Last Rites For A Dead Priest
s01e13   #014   Death Is Not A Passing Grade
s01e14   #015   Die Before They Wake
s01e15   #016   Deliver Us Some Evil
s01e16   #017   Eighteen Hours Of Fear
s01e17   #018   Before The Devil Knows
s01e18   #019   Dead On His Feet
s01e19   #020   Down A Long And Lonely River
s01e20   #021   Mojo
s01e21   #022   Therapy In Dynamite
s01e22   #023   The Only Way Out

s02e01*  #024*  The Chinatown Murders
s02e02   #025   Hush Now, Or You'll Die
s02e03   #026   A Very Deadly Game
s02e04   #027   Wall Street Gunslinger
s02e05   #028   Slay Ride
s02e06   #029   Nursemaid
s02e07   #030   You Can't Tell A Hurt Man How To Holler
s02e08   #031   The Best Judge Money Can Buy
s02e09   #032   A Souvenir From Atlantic City
s02e10   #033   A Killing In The Second House
s02e11   #034   The Best War In Town
s02e12   #035   Cross Your Heart And Hope To Die
s02e13   #036   The Betrayal
s02e14   #037   Loser Takes All
s02e15   #038   Close Cover Before Killing
s02e16   #039   Acts Of Desperate Men
s02e17   #040   Queen Of The Gypsies
s02e18   #041   Night Of The Piraeus
s02e19   #042   Elegy In An Asphalt Graveyard
s02e20   #043   The Good Luck Bomber
s02e21   #044   Unwanted Partners
s02e22   #045   Two-Four-Six For Two Hundred
s02e23   #046   The Trade-Off
s02e24   #047   I Want To Report A Dream

s03e01*  #048*  A Question Of Answers
s03e02   #049   My Brother, My Enemy
s03e03   #050   Sweeter Than Life
s03e04   #051   Be Careful What You Pray For
s03e05   #052   Secret Snow, Deadly Snow
s03e06   #053   Life, Liberation, And The Pursuit Of Death
s03e07   #054   Out Of The Frying Pan...
s03e08   #055   Over The Water
s03e09   #056   The Nicest Guys On The Block
s03e10   #057   No Immunity For Murder
s03e11   #058   A Long Way From Times Square
s03e12   #059   Money Back Guarantee
s03e13   #060   A House Of Prayer, A Den Of Thieves
s03e14   #061   How Cruel The Frost, How Bright The Stars
s03e15   #062   The Forgotten Room
s03e16   #063   On The Edge
s03e17   #064   A Wind From Corsica
s03e18   #065   Bad Dude
s03e19   #066   The Frame
s03e20   #067   Deadly Innocence
s03e21   #068   Justice Deferred
s03e22   #069   Both Sides Of The Law
s03e23   #070   A Grave Too Soon

s04e01   #071   Birthday Party
s04e02   #072   A Summer Madness
s04e03   #073   Law Dance
s04e04   #074   Out Of The Shadows
s04e05   #075   A Need To Know
s04e06   #076   An Unfair Trade
s04e07   #077   A Hair-Trigger Away
s04e08   #078   By Silence Betrayed
s04e09*  #079*  A Shield For Murder
s04e10   #080   The Pride And The Princess
s04e11   #081   Black Thorn
s04e12   #082   Where Do You Go When You Have No Place to Go?
s04e13   #083   Dead Again
s04e14   #084   The Godson
s04e15   #085   The Condemned
s04e16   #086   When You Hear The Beep, Drop Dead
s04e17   #087   I Was Happy Where I Was
s04e18   #088   Kojak's Days, Part One
s04e19   #089   Kojak's Days, Part Two
s04e20   #090   Monkey On A String
s04e21   #091   Kiss It All Goodbye
s04e22   #092   Lady In The Squad Room
s04e23   #093   Sister Maria
s04e24   #094   Another Gypsy Queen

s05e01   #095   The Queen Of Hearts Is Wild
s05e02   #096   A Strange Kind Of Love
s05e03   #097   Laid Off
s05e04   #098   Cry For The Kids
s05e05   #099   Once More From Birdland
s05e06   #100   Caper On A Quiet Street
s05e07   #101   Letters Of Death
s05e08   #102   Tears for All Who Loved Her
s05e09   #103   The Summer Of '69, Part One
s05e10   #104   The Summer Of '69, Part Two
s05e11   #105   Case Without A File
s05e12   #106   I Could Kill My Wife's Lawyer
s05e13   #107   Justice For All
s05e14   #108   Mouse
s05e15   #109   Chain Of Custody
s05e16   #110   The Captain's Brother's Wife
s05e17   #111   No License To Kill
s05e18   #112   The Halls Of Terror
s05e19   #113   May The Horse Be With You
s05e20   #114   Photo Must Credit Joe Paxton
s05e21   #115   60 Miles To Hell
s05e22   #116   In Full Command

#117*  The Belarus File
#118*  The Price Of Justice
#119*  Ariana
#120*  Fatal Flaw
#121*  Flowers For Matty
#122*  It's Always Something
#123*  None So Blind

*longer episode (120m/150m)

Info from epguides.com

The Amazing Spider-Man

2011-01-29T00:52:00.002Z

#01*  The Amazing Spider-Man
#02   The Deadly Dust, Part One
#03   The Deadly Dust, Part Two
#04   The Curse Of Rava
#05   Night Of The Clones
#06   Escort To Danger
#07   The Captive Tower
#08   A Matter Of State
#09   The Con Caper
#10   Kirkwood Haunting
#11   Photo Finish
#12   Wolf Pack
#13*  The Chinese Web

*longer episode (120m)

Info from epguides.com

yaTVRp_s06e02

2010-11-01T15:56:00.002Z

The Greatest American Hero. Season 2, Episode 3. "Don't Mess Around with Jim"

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s06e01

2010-10-22T05:09:00.002+01:00

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

MP3 File

Melrose Place

2010-07-24T07:42:00.004+01:00

Melrose Place

Jul 1992-May 1999, FOX Wed 9:00 & Mon 8:00


s01e01*  #001*  Melrose Place
s01e02   #002   Friends And Lovers
s01e03   #003   Lost And Found
s01e04   #004   For Love And Money
s01e05   #005   Leap Of Faith
s01e06   #007   Second Chances
s01e07   #006   My Way
s01e08   #008   Lonely Hearts
s01e09   #009   Responsibly Yours
s01e10   #010   Burned
s01e11   #011   A Promise Broken
s01e12   #012   Polluted Affairs
s01e13   #013   Dreams Come True
s01e14   #014   Drawing The Line
s01e15   #015   House Of God
s01e16   #016   The Whole Truth
s01e17   #017   Jake vs. Jake
s01e18   #018   A Melrose Place Christmas
s01e19   #019   Single White Sister
s01e20   #020   Peanut Butter And Jealousy
s01e21   #021   Picture Imperfect
s01e22   #022   Three's A Crowd
s01e23   #023   My New Partner
s01e24   #024   Bye Bye Billy
s01e25   #025   Irreconcilable Similarites
s01e26   #026   End Game
s01e27   #027   The Test
s01e28   #028   Pushing Boundaries
s01e29   #029   Pas De Trois
s01e30   #030   Carpe Diem
s01e31   #031   State Of Need
s01e32*  #032*  Suspicious Minds

s02e01   #033   Much Ado About Everything
s02e02   #034   A Long Night's Journey
s02e03   #035   Revenge
s02e04   #036   Fire Power
s02e05   #037   Of Bikes And Men
s02e06   #038   Hot And Bothered
s02e07   #039   Flirting With Disaster
s02e08   #040   No Bed Of Roses
s02e09   #041   Married To It
s02e10   #042   The Tangled Web
s02e11   #043   Collision Course
s02e12   #044   Cold Turkey
s02e13   #045   Duet For One
s02e14   #046   Strange Bedfellows
s02e15   #047   Under The Mistletoe
s02e16   #048   Reunion Blues
s02e17   #049   Michael's Game
s02e18   #050   Arousing Suspicions
s02e19   #051   The Young Men And The Sea
s02e20   #052   Parting Glances
s02e21   #053   Swept Away
s02e22   #054   With This Ball And Chain
s02e23   #055   Otherwise Engaged
s02e24   #056   Love, Mancini-Style
s02e25   #057   The Two Mrs. Mancinis
s02e26   #058   In Bed With The Enemy
s02e27   #059   Psycho Therapy
s02e28   #060   The Bitch is Back
s02e29   #061   Imperfect Strangers
s02e30   #062   Devil With The G-String On
s02e31*  #063*  Till Death Do Us Part

s03e01   #064   I Am Curious Melrose
s03e02   #065   It's A Bad World After All
s03e03   #066   In-Laws And Outlaws
s03e04   #067   Grand Delusions
s03e05   #068   Nonsexual Healing
s03e06   #069   No Strings Attached
s03e07   #070   The Cook, The Creep, His Lover And Her Sister
s03e08   #071   Love Reeks
s03e09   #072   Dr. Jeckyl Saves His Hide
s03e10   #073   And Justice For None
s03e11   #074   The Days Of Wine And Vodka
s03e12   #075   The Doctor That Rocks The Cradle
s03e13   #076   Just Say No
s03e14   #077   Sex, Drugs And Rockin' The Cradle
s03e15   #078   Holiday on Ice
s03e16   #079   Bye Bye Baby
s03e17*  #080*  They Shoot Mothers, Don't They?
s03e18   #081   Another Perfect Day in Hell
s03e19   #082   Boxing Sydney
s03e20   #083   St. Valentine's Day Massacre
s03e21   #084   Breakfast At Tiffany's, Dinner At Eight
s03e22   #085   And The Winner Is...
s03e23   #086   Love And Death 101
s03e24   #087   To Live And Die In Malibu
s03e25   #088   All About Brooke
s03e26   #089   Melrose Impossible
s03e27   #090   Hose By Any Other Name
s03e28   #091   Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
s03e29   #092   Framing Of The Shrews
s03e30*  #093*  The Big Bang

s04e01   #094   Post Mortem Madness
s04e02   #095   Melrose is Like A Box Of Chocolates
s04e03   #096   Blind Ambition
s04e04   #097   Simply Shocking
s04e05   #098   Drawing Henry
s04e06   #099   The Jane Mutiny
s04e07   #100   Let The Games Begin
s04e08   #101   Dial M for Melrose
s04e09   #102   Amanda Unplugged
s04e10   #103   El Syd
s04e11   #104   Free Kimmy
s04e12   #105   Kimberly Does L.A.
s04e13   #106   Hook, Line And Hayley
s04e14   #107   Two Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
s04e15   #108   Oy! To The World
s04e16   #109   Holy Strokes
s04e17   #110   The Brooke Stops Here
s04e18   #111   Sydney, Bothered And Bewildered
s04e19   #112   The Bobby Trap
s04e20*  #113*  No Lifeguard on Duty
s04e21   #114   Devil In A Wet Dress
s04e22   #115   Circle Of Strife
s04e23   #116   Run Billy Run
s04e24   #117   Ruthless People
s04e25   #118   The Burning Couch
s04e26   #119   Triumph Of The Bill
s04e27   #120   What Comes Up, Must Come Down
s04e28   #121   True Fibs
s04e29   #122   Melrose Unglued
s04e30   #123   Peter's Excellent Adventure
s04e31   #124   Full Metal Betsy
s04e32*  #125*  Dead Sisters Walking

s05e01   #126   Living With Disaster
s05e02   #127   Over Dick's Dead Body
s05e03   #128   Moving Violations
s05e04   #129   Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love
s05e05   #130   Un-Janed Melody
s05e06   #131   Jane's Addiction
s05e07   #132   Young Doctors in Heat
s05e08   #133   Mission:  Interpersonal
s05e09   #134   Farewell Mike's Concubine
s05e10   #135   Nice Work if You Can Get It
s05e11   #136   Sole Sister
s05e12   #137   Quest for Mother
s05e13   #138   Crazy Love
s05e14   #139   The Accidental Doctor
s05e15   #140   Escape From L.A.
s05e16   #141   Eyes Of The Storm
s05e17   #142   Better Homes And Condos
s05e18*  #143*  Great sExpectations
s05e19   #144   Catch Her in The Lie
s05e20   #145   Men Are From Melrose
s05e21   #146   Frames 'R' Us
s05e22   #147   Screams From A Marriage
s05e23   #148   101 Damnations
s05e24   #149   From Here To Maternity
s05e25   #150   Last Exit To Ohio
s05e26   #151   The Dead Wives Club
s05e27   #152   Deja Vu All Over Again
s05e28   #153   All Beths Are Off
s05e29   #154   Ultimatums And The Single Guy
s05e30   #155   Going Places
s05e31   #156   Secrets And Lies And More Lies
s05e32*  #157*  Who's Afraid Of Amanda Woodward?

s06e01   #158   Brand New Day
s06e02   #159   Trojan Stork
s06e03   #160   No Time For Sperm Banks
s06e04   #161   The Doctor Is In... Deep
s06e05   #162   Desperately Seeking Samantha
s06e06   #163   The Light At The End Of The Tumble
s06e07   #164   Secrets And Wives
s06e08   #165   A Shot In The Dark
s06e09   #166   Attack Of The Scalpel Woman
s06e10   #167   My Little Coma Girl
s06e11   #168   Everybody Comes To Kyle's
s06e12   #169   A Bump In The Night
s06e13   #170   A Tree Talks In Melrose
s06e14   #171   To Kill A Whirlybird
s06e15   #172   Amanda's Back
s06e16   #173   Kyle Of The Desert
s06e17   #174   Coop De Grace
s06e18   #175   Mama Mia
s06e19*  #176*  Last Train To Baghdad
s06e20   #177   A Swing And A Mrs.
s06e21   #178   Blunt Drama
s06e22   #179   A Christine Runs Through It
s06e23   #180   Too Romantic For Words
s06e24   #181   Four Affairs And A Pregnancy
s06e25   #182   M.P. Confidential
s06e26   #183   The Nasty Minded Professor
s06e27   #184   Divorce Dominican Style
s06e28   #185   A Long Way To Tip-A-Rory
s06e29   #186   A Match Made In Hell
s06e30   #187   Ball N'Jane
s06e31   #188   As Bad As It Gets
s06e32*  #189*  Buona Sera, Mr. Campbell

s07e01   #190   The World According To Matt
s07e02   #191   Where The Hookers Grow
s07e03   #192   Dr. Jealousy
s07e04   #193   Not Quite All About Eve
s07e05   #194   The Rumor Whisperer
s07e06   #195   The Night The Lights Went Out At Melrose
s07e07   #196   Suspicion
s07e08   #197   Fiddling On The Roof
s07e09   #198   Lethal Wedding 4
s07e10   #199   When Cheerleaders Attack
s07e11   #200   Suddenly Sperm
s07e12   #201   The Usual Santas
s07e13   #202   The Kyle High Club
s07e14   #203   I Married A Jock Murderer
s07e15   #204   A Fist Full Of Secrets
s07e16   #205   The Younger Son Also Rises
s07e17   #206   Saving Ryan's Privates
s07e18   #207   They Shoot Blanks, Don't They?
s07e19   #208   How Amanda Got Her Groove Back
s07e20   #209   Unpleasantville
s07e21   #210   Ryan's Choice
s07e22   #211   McBride's Head Revisited
s07e23   #212   The Daughterboy
s07e24   #213   Bitter Homes And Guardians
s07e25   #214   Floral Knowledge
s07e26   #215   Lexi Gets Stiffed
s07e27   #216   Dead Men Don't Shut Up
s07e28   #217   Asses To Ashes

s08e01   #218   Melrose
s08e02   #219   Nightingale
s08e03   #220   Grand
s08e04   #221   Vine
s08e05   #222   Canon
s08e06   #223   Shoreline
s08e07   #224   Windsor
s08e08   #225   Gower
s08e09   #226   Ocean
s08e10   #227   Cahuenga
s08e11   #228   June
s08e12   #229   San Vicente
s08e13   #230   Oriole
s08e14   #231   Stoner Canyon
s08e15   #232   Mulholland
s08e16   #233   Santa Fe
s08e17   #234   Sepulveda
s08e18   #235   Wilshire

*longer episode (90m/120m)

Info from epguides.com
Melrose Place theme, by Tim Truman

TV Guide Guide To TV: Slinky lingerie, rampant lunatics and love gone very wrong add up to a campy guilty pleasure that's as addictive as the show it was spun off from, 'Beverly Hills, 90210.' 'Melrose' began with self-contained episodes about the Gen-X denizens of a hip L.A. apartment complex, but ratings were limp until executive producer Aaron Spelling spiced things up considerably by bringing Heather Locklear's deliciously wicked, micro-skirted Amanda Woodward to the party. By the end of Season 1 she had stirred up enough trouble to save the series from cancellation, leading to six more years of hook-ups, break-ups, back-stabbing and cliff-hangers, including one twist that threatened to literally send the cast out with a bang. At the end of the fourth season, scarred psycho Kimberly Shaw (a pre-'Desperate Housewives' Marcia Cross) was poised to blow up the complex, but with the Oklahoma City bombing still fresh in viewers' minds, FOX opted to delay the explosion until the fall. It may be the only time 'MP' showed any restraint (if only temporarily), The series had a huge ensemble cast, but throughout its run, Amanda remained the vampish center of attention, and as the melodrama became cheesier, she was put in highly perilous (and implausible) situations. By the time FOX foreclosed on the property, she had survived her abusive ex, a murderous ex-cheerleader and scores of kidnappers, not to mention a two-month bout with Hodgkin's disease. The final episode found her faking her death and fleeing to the tropics with Peter Burns (Jack Wagner), where she no doubt struggled to forget the show's ill-fated off-shoot, 'Models, Inc.' — Damian J. Holbrook

yaTVRp_s05e26

2010-04-19T00:00:00.003+01:00

The Office, Party Down, Damages, 24

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s05e24

2010-04-04T23:39:00.002+01:00

Police Squad, The Rockford Files, Community, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Dan For Mayor,

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s05e22

2010-03-14T23:24:00.002Z

Lost, Community, Dan For Mayor, Hiccups

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s05e21

2010-03-08T01:36:00.003Z

The Big Bang Theory, Legend of the Seeker, Rules Of Engagement, The Rockford Files, McMillan & Wife

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s05e20

2010-02-21T23:43:00.003Z

The Rockford Files, The Phil Silvers Show, McMillan And Wife, The Six Million Dollar Man, Mission: Impossible

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s05e19

2010-02-14T23:27:00.003Z

WKRP In Cincinnati, Community, Scrubs, Friday Night Lights, NCIS, Human Target

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s05e18

2010-02-07T23:03:00.004Z

House, The Six Million Dollar Man, Flashpoint, Hunter, Lost

MP3 File

BETTER OFF TED - FUNNY, REALLY VULGAR OUTTAKES

2010-01-12T02:29:00.001Z

yaTVRp_s05e11

2010-01-04T23:21:00.001Z

Scrubs, Dexter, FlashForward, V

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s05e10

2009-12-22T22:32:00.002Z

The Rockford Files, Black Beauty, Man From Atlantis, The Incredible Hulk, Friends, I Dream Of Jeannie

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s05e09

2009-12-22T02:50:00.002Z

Defying Gravity, Vampire Diaries, Jack Of All Trades, Six Million Dollar Man, Melrose Place, Sledge Hammer, The Venture Brothers

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s05e08

2009-12-20T23:06:00.002Z

Community, Parks And Recreation, The Good Wife, NCIS, Friday Night Lights

MP3 File

The Incredible Hulk

2009-12-09T18:16:00.002Z

I've been looking for a Production Order guide for a while, as I would like to watch the series that way, if possible.

Finding nothing, I used the codes at epguides.com to make my own. I had to adjust it somewhat, to accomodate the two-parters, but it makes interesting reading. It groups the show more easily into seasons of equal length and gives the series a 'big finish', of sorts, with The First.

Has anyone seen the show listed like this? Or do you know of a better production order list? Something which reflects true continuity.

Season 1

48501  The Incredible Hulk
48502  Death in the Family
50103  Terror in Times Square
50104  The Final Round
50105  Of Guilt, Models, and Murder
50106  The Beast Within
50107  A Child in Need
50108  747
50109  The Hulk Breaks Las Vegas
50112  The Waterfront Story
50113  Earthquakes Happen
50114  Never Give a Trucker an Even Break
50115  Life and Death
50119  Ricky

Season 2

50721  Married
50701  Escape from Los Santos
50702  Rainbow's End
50705  The Antowuk Horror
50708  Killer Instinct
50709  Wildfire
50710  Stop the Presses
50712  Vendetta Road
50714  Alice in Disco Land
50717  Another Path
50718  Like a Brother
50720  A Solitary Place
50725  The Haunted
50726  No Escape
50727  Mystery Man, part 1
50733  Mystery Man, part 2
50728  Blind Rage
50729  Kindered Spirits
50731  The Disciple
50734  The Confession
50737  The Slam
50740  The Quiet Room

Season 3

53001  Metamorphosis
53002  Falling Angels
53003  Jake
53005  Sideshow
53007  The Psychic
53011  The Snare
53014  Homecoming
53016  My Favorite Magician
53017  Behind the Wheel
53022  Brain Child
53024  Captive Night
53027  Broken Image
53028  The Lottery
53029  Babalao
53030  Long Run Home
53031  Proof Positive
53034  Deathmask
53035  A Rock and a Hard Place
53036  Goodbye Eddie Cain
53039  Equinox
53040  Nine Hours
53045  On the Line
53049  Prometheus, part 1
53050  Prometheus, part 2

Season 4

55403  Wax Museum
55404  Bring Me the Head of the Hulk
55405  Slaves
55406  The Harder They Fall
55410  Danny
55412  Triangle
55414  Fast Lane
55416  Deep Shock
55417  East Winds
55419  Veteran
55420  Dark Side
55421  Free Fall
55422  The First, part 1
55435  The First, part 2
55423  Sanctuary
55424  Patterns
55425  A Minor Problem
55426  Half Nelson
55427  The Phenom
55429  Interview with the Hulk
55431  King of the Beach
55437  Two Godmothers

yaTVRp_s05e07

2009-11-30T10:54:00.002Z

The Big Bang Theory, Dexter, Modern Family, The Middle, Battlestar Galactica, V

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s05e06

2009-11-15T19:28:00.002Z

Scrubs, Friday Night Lights, White Collar, Action, Six Million Dollar Man

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s05e05

2009-10-26T03:07:00.002Z

Modern Family, Parks And Recreation, Legend Of The Seeker, Supernatural, Torchwood, Dead Zone, NCIS

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s05e04

2009-10-18T23:52:00.002+01:00

Castle, The Good Wife, The Vampire Diaries, FlashForward, Arrested Development, Dexter, Breaking Bad

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s05e03

2009-10-04T23:39:00.003+01:00

Trauma, Brothers, Cougar Town, Archer, Michael And Michael Have Issues, Supernatural, The Closer

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s05e02

2009-09-28T00:13:00.002+01:00

The Forgotten, Mercy, Accidentally On Purpose, The Good Wife, Eastwick, FlashForward, Modern Family

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s05e01

2009-09-21T00:06:00.002+01:00

The Beautiful Life, The Office, Bored To Death, The Six Million Dollar Man, Torchwood, Legend Of The Seeker, Supernatural

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s04e48

2009-09-14T00:09:00.002+01:00

Melrose Place, Cupid, Hung, Glee, Defying Gravity, The Vampire Diaries

MP3 File

Cupid pilot review

2009-09-10T17:02:00.002+01:00

Cupid

god of love (maybe) on earth making matches

Type of Pilot: Romantic Comedy-Drama

Similar Shows: Cupid I, Valentine

The Inner Light: There is someone for (almost) everyone, but it takes a bit of hard work

Strengths: Great premise

Weaknesses: It's good, yes, but let's not forget that it's a remake of a superior show

Impressive Characters: Cupid/Trevor is a likable hero. Innocent and naive in ways, but forceful and heroic at the same time. Plus he's got a vulnerable side. Gotta love that. He looks like lost puppy on a few occasions.
Claire is a bit of a cold fish, yes, but she's a perfect match for Trevor and they make an obvious couple right from the moment they meet.

Impressive Actors: Bobby Cannavale is more of a 'big lug' type than I would have expected for a role like this, but he sure makes it work. I've seen Sarah Paulson in many, many shows and I would never have picked her for a role like this. Yet, somehow, she makes it work, too.
The supporting cast are wonderful. Rick Gomez and Camille Guaty are each utterly adorable (possibly the strangest sentence I have ever written, but there you go).

Less-Than-Impressive Characters: None.

Less-Than-Impressive Actors: Same as. This is a strong cast.

Continuity: None. The old show had very little, too, with only Claire's relationship adding any story arc element to the show.

Rewatchability: I was utterly charmed by the love story between Sean Maguire and Marguerite Moreau and would watch it again, no problem. I'm a sucker for a good love story, which is why I love the original show so much.

Other Info: Remake of Cupid.

Three Things I Really Like About This Pilot:

The love story between Sean Maguire and Marguerite Moreau

The premise: god of love (maybe) on earth making matches

The chemistry between the leads.

Miscellaneous Comments:

Bobby Cannavale is no Jeremy Piven, and Sarah Paulson is no Paula Marshall but - to my surprise and delight - the new Cupid show is good. I liked the characters and I liked the story-of-the-week. Count me in!

GRADE: A

Melrose Place pilot review

2009-09-10T00:58:00.013+01:00

Melrose Place

soap opera set in an apartment complex

Type of Pilot: soap opera; murder mystery

Similar Shows: Melrose Place I, Models Inc., any other prime-time soap

The Inner Light: your neighbours are crazy/dangerous/lustful, etc.

Strengths: A murder-mystery can be a compelling hook, if done right, and by the time the closing credits came up there was a part of me that would like to stick with it to see who the murderer is.
I liked many of the cast and could watch them again.
I even liked some of the characters and would be interested in knowing what would happen to them next.

Weaknesses: There were times when I was bored. Once it got going the old show was never boring. And the opening ten minutes or so (before the credits) were truly awful. David calling all the gang because Sydney needed them? What was all that about? And then there was the godawful video montage that Jonah showed his girlfriend.

Impressive Characters: Sydney and Michael are awesome. That's a given. Of the new bunch...
I like Ella. Not when she's being a bitch. That's not totally convinving, it's more of a desperate attempt to recreate Amanda for the new show and it takes me right out of the show. But I liked the fact that she appears to have a crush on the only nice person in the cast. The one person you would expect her to have total disdain for. I liked that aspect of the character. And they would be a fun couple if they ever get together.
Lauren, as a character, is nothing special but her storyline is very Melrose Place. When I was watching that story unfold I felt like I was watch the old show. And that's a good thing.
David, too, had a strong storyline for the duration of the episode but the revelation at the very end took him very much into classic MP territory, and it would be fun to watch that play out.

Impressive Actors: Katie Cassidy did a fine job of making her character likable (like when we sussed that she had a crush on Jonah) and a so-so job making her character a bitch. I don't know, I just didn't buy it all. But I still liked Cassidy.
Great to see Stephanie Jacobsen. She had a pretty good role, too, and came across really well. She very well suited to MP.
Michael Rady was great, even if some of the writing (for his character) was awful. A character who is this naive and nice is very hard to like, in the world of Melrose, but Rady almost made it work. It'll be more fun, however, when his character starts giving in to temptation. I hope. If the pilot had ended with him deciding to blackmail that movie guy I would have a lot more impressed and more interested in watching the rest of the series.
Shaun Sipos was a lot of fun, too. His character was well written and interesting (particular in his final scene) and he's one of the strengths of the new show.
That's the cast, then there was the Special Guests...
It was great to see Laura Leighton as Sydney once more. She was a bit more subdued than I remember, but some of her one-liners were terrific.
Same goes for Thomas Calabro. Not quite as much fun as I remember him being, but still great to see him back.

Less-Than-Impressive Characters: Violet and Auggie were non-entities in this pilot. Neither had very many scenes but Auggie, at least, had a scene at the end that made him interesting. No such luck for Violet.
Riley had loads and loads of scenes, but she was boring as frak. I've no interest in knowing what happens to her next.
Jonah (the nice guy) was a total drip. If he had opted to follow the blackmail route, at the end of the story, it would have much more interesting and I would have liked the character. Also: it would have been a more-Melrose Place kind of thing to happen.

Less-Than-Impressive Actors: Colin Egglesfield wasn't given much to do. Three scenes? In which is just looked brooding and stuff. However, the last scene gives the impression that he might be getting some worthwhile scenes in upcoming episodes...
Jessica Lucas was pretty, but little else. Hard to guage her acting, really, since the script gave her nothing much to do. And her character is kinda hateful.
Same goes for Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, who had very few scenes and played all of them in a monotone fashion.

Continuity: Lots. Of course. It's a soap.

Rewatchability: Not really. It wasn't so much fun that I would want to see it again.

Other Info: Sequel to (continuation of) the FOX series Melrose Place which was a lot of fun when it got going.

Three Things I Really Like About This Pilot:

Shaun Sipos

Michael Rady

Thomas Calabro

Three Things I Really Don't Like About This Pilot:

The identity of the murder victim.

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz

That god-awful video montage that Jonah made for Riley was painful to watch. Truly painful.

Miscellaneous Comments:

Not completely awful. Not as much fun as Original MP, but I did end up liking some of the new characters and if I have a free hour next week I'll watch episode two.

Which is the problem. There are lots of very good shows on TV, and not enough time to make room for the Average ones. I liked 90210 last season. I even stuck with it for several weeks. But, as the season wore on, and more and more very good shows came on it just got pushed further and further down the viewing list, until I was hopelessly behind and had no real intention of jumping back in.

I'd like to like Melrose. It would be great to have a show to watch like the '90s version, where plot twists were crazy and the show chewed up storylines at a furious pace. And the women were hot. And dangerous. My favourite kind of women. There wasn't much in the pilot to convince me that this Melrose will be like that Melrose. Of course, you can't indicate those things in a pilot. The pace and style of this show will only become apparent after three or four episodes.

So, is this pilot good enough to keep me around for those three or four episodes?

Sure, if I have a free hour ever week...

GRADE: B

yaTVRp_s04e47

2009-09-07T00:58:00.003+01:00

In Plain Sight, The Unusuals, Supernatural, Batman, The Rockford Files, NCIS

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s04e46

2009-08-31T00:36:00.002+01:00

Dark Blue, The Philanthropist, Kojak, Dexter, Scrubs

MP3 File

Sondra Currie on The Incredible Hulk

2009-08-28T05:52:00.000+01:00

yaTVRp_s04e45

2009-08-23T23:45:00.003+01:00

The Incredible Hulk, Kojak, Friday The 13th, Flying Blind, Batman, Burn Notice

MP3 File

Dexter season three episode reviews

2009-08-21T21:44:00.002+01:00

Season 3, Episode 1. "Our Father" While tracking his latest prey, Dexter is attacked by a man he does not know and has to kill him to defend himself. Who is this man?

Amazing strong start to the third season. The show come's off an intense storyline and completely re-invents itself. All the best elements of most of the show's best character's are still in place, but now we have a completely new tale being told. And it seems to revolve around the family of the Jimmy Smits character.

Smits makes a great debut on the show and makes me interested in the new storyline. C.S. Lee is more enjoyable than normal and the show pulls a master stroke by moving Angel higher in the chain of command than Debra. What a great way to create tension between them!

Season 3, Episode 2. "Finding Freebo" Dexter finally kills the guy he set out to get last week, but - just after doing the deed - he is found at the scene by Jimmy Smit's character: Assistant District Attorney Miguel Prado.

The strength/appeal of Dexter is it's way of looking at normal life. The early part of this episode is devoted to the ritual of Dexter arriving at work, talking with his co-workers, catching up, and getting ready for the day ahead. A huge part of the episode is devoted to Dexter's musings on the news that he is about to become a parent. So, Dexter may be about a serial killer and all, but - at it's heart - it's just a drama series about a normal guy doing normal things and facing normal problems.

Season 3, Episode 3. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" Miguel and Dexter become closer, and a pedophile sets his sights on Astor.

A solid outing. Watching Miguel stalk Dexter (with a view towards being friends) is a lot of fun. But haven't we seen all of this before? With Lila? It was especially interesting when Dexter opened up and talked about his father. But, again, this is basically a re thread of what happened last season: Dexter has a new friend, who he can open up to, who might actually understand what he does...

The pedophile storyline was much better. It was cool to see Dexter protecting his family, and accepting his role as their protector. Of all the kills we have seen, this has got to be the most satisfying and the one that most defines Dexter as a 'hero'.

Season 3, Episode 4. "All In The Family" The team investigates the murder of a man, with the help of his loving fiance, while Dexter tries proposing to Rita and manages to convince Miguel that his brother is unstable.

It's a strong episode. The three threads of the episode are very satisfying. The murder-case-of-the-week is something that Dexter never does. Yes, we get to see him and the team at various murder scenes, but - unless it is connected to an ongoing storyline - we never get to hear about the outcome of the case. This is different. This time out we get to follow one murder case from crime scene to the arrest of the killer at the end and - even better - the case is used to impact upon Dexter, Debra and Quinn in significant ways. Even without that fallout, it's a pretty nifty murder case: Julie Ann Emery makes a great guest star.

In the ongoing storylines Dexter is working his magic: manipulating Miguel's brother so that he over-reacts to stuff. Dexter wants to keep him out of loop, so he does all of this to sever the trust between the brothers. It's good stuff, but - in common with much of the Miguel Prado scenes - we've seen it all before. Last Season Dexter manipulated Doakes in a similar manner. Now he's at it again. I'm not as impressed this time out.

I'm very impressed with the proposal at the end, however. That was superb storytelling. Dexter uses the phrases/words/ideas of a crazed killer to convince Rita to marry him and the voice-over tells us how lonely, confused and needy he is. Haunting stuff.

Season 3, Episode 5. "Turning Biminese" Rita goes to hospital, Dexter goes fishing.

Dexter feels the pressure to sell his apartment, and buy a new house with Rita, now that they are getting married. He may be a serial killer, but his thoughts/fears/anxieties are the same ones that ever guy faces. The narration from this episode could have been used on thirtysomething, or Once And Again. And this is one of the great things about the show.

The plots advance, too, in this one. Debra convinces a kid to talk about Freebo, but somebody is watching them...

And, in a very exciting - very surprising - final scene: Miguel guesses Dexter's secret.

So, all in all, a very well balanced episode. The first third was mostly about Dexter's fears, the middle third advanced the plots and the final third showed Dexter's killer side and gave him a confidant.

What next?

One suspects that it will end badly (for Miguel) but, since that's just a re-thread of last season (with Lila) I hope they find something else to do with the idea.

Season 3, Episode 6. "Sí Se Puede" Miguel plans a murder for Dexter.

After an episode dominated (in a way) by Rita and her impact upon Dexter's life, the show (wisely) puts her completely in the background and opts to focus on the deepening friendship between Dexter and Miguel. The fact that they do this, but showing Miguel's part in the murder of an evil Nazi convict makes for a truly thrilling episode. It's not the usual type of Dexter murder. He's not in control so, for once, there is an element of tension and suspense surrounding the crime.

Nice.

As for the deepening friendship. I have no idea where this is all going. Hopefully the show won't simply turn Miguel and Dexter into enemies and force Dexter to kill him. So, what else is there? Miguel is murdered, and Dexter must avenge him?

Or will they be really brave? And leave Miguel in the show for another season...

Season 3, Episode 7. "Easy as Pie" Miguel wants Dexter to kill the nice lawyer lady, and Dexter's old friend asks that he end her life to end her suffering/pain.

A solid episode where both plots have Dexter being asked by friends to try something new and grew outside his previously defined boundaries. Clever rewarding stuff.

Season 3, Episode 8. "The Damage a Man Can Do" Dexter guides Miguel through his first kill. But not his second...

Another gripping episode. Nice balance between the insanity of Rita at home, and the male bonding stuff between Dexter and Miguel (as they plan and commit a murder).

The final scene was a chilling twist. Is Miguel about to do what I think he's about to do? Damn.

Season 3, Episode 9. "About Last Night" Dexter realises that Miguel murdered Ellen Wolf, and - worse - has been playing him like a fool from the very start...

Wow. A real kick in the pants, for Dexter and the audience at home. The revelation that the blood on the shirt didn't belong to Miguel was superb. The one moment tied up the events of the first eight episodes in a tidy little bundle and sets the scene for the three episodes to come.

Season 3, Episode 10. "Go Your Own Way" Dexter and Miguel have a battle of wits, as each tries to get the upper hand.

One of the best episodes of Dexter ever made. Since Dexter is all about stealth we don't normally get to see him in a battle of wits scenario. So this is a new departure for the show: Dexter in all-out war with somebody. And, to make it even better, the war is fought through polite conversation in front of lots of regular people.

Except for the confrontation at the very end. The big face-to-face on the rooftop. That was amazing. Great performances from both men. Jimmy Smits can go from likable to hateful in a single conversation. Talented guy. His considerable on-screen charisma doesn't work against him when he plays a villain.

Then there's Michael C. Hall. The confrontation on the rooftop is amazing. The energy levels of the two men are completely different. Smits' Miguel is yelling and screaming with passion and hatred, while Hall's Dexter is pure calm and disconnection in the middle of the storm. It's as if Hall wasn't even in the scene at all, but digitally added in later. I'm not sure how he did it, but he really pulled off something remarkable here.

Season 3, Episode 11. "I Had a Dream" Dexter decides he's gonna have to kill Miguel. And he chooses a new Best Man.

This surprised me. Sure, I know Dexter was likely to kill Miguel, but I figured it would be left to, you know, the last episode of the season. Nope. The show had something else up it's sleeve. Good storytelling choice.

Season 3, Episode 12. "Do You Take Dexter Morgan?" Miguel has sent two people after Dexter... his brother and a psycho killer.

Satisfying ending to the third season. Now that Miguel is out of the picture, Dexter still has two foes to deal with. These foes were dealt with in different ways. And both were satisfying. Ramon and Dexter... sat down face to face and had a heartfelt conversation. Yes, there was some violence first (Ramon pulled a gun on Dexter at one point) but - to my surprise/delight - the storyline was resolved when Dexter reasoned with Ramon and allowed him to see the error of his ways.

Cool.

The storyline of the Skinner also came to a surprising conclusion. Dexter was taken hostage/prisoner and - not being an action-hero in the classic sense - I did not expect him to break free. Especially since his (newly-promoted) detective sister was on her way to rescue him. But, no, Dexter went all Jack Bauer on the bad guy and broke free. I wasn't expecting that. It was a bit "too TV" for a show like Dexter, and I hope they don't go there again, but it was a cool way to end the season.

Rising Damp season two episode reviews

2009-08-20T03:30:00.002+01:00

Season 2, Episode 1. "Permissive Society" Parts of the series that have only been hinted at before are brought out in the open with this episode. Rigsby makes a proper play for the affections of Miss Jones and Alan is revealed to be a virgin (I think). He certainly is found out as being totally clueless with regard to women. Up to now, we all knew that Rigsby liked Ruth but he never made any direct play for her (if you don't count waving that smoking stick about!) and while we certainly suspected that Alan was pretty clueless he never actually said it to anyone else on-screen before. With the start of the second season, I suppose Eric Chappell was just making the conceits of the series more concrete. Whatever the reasoning behind it, it's certainly one of the funniest episodes. All the best scenes are the ones between Rigsby and Alan and - on this viewing - I think their friendship is my favourite part of the show.

Season 2, Episode 2. "Food Glorious Food" Rigsby shoots his mouth off and Philip challenges him to stay off food for 48 hours. Simple premise. Delightful execution. Leonard Rossiter is hilarious in every scene. As usual, his bond with Alan comes to the forefront and he pleads with the young medical student to sneak him some food. It doesn't happen, but it nicely sets up the twist ending. Very funny.

Season 2, Episode 3. "A Body Like Mine" The formula is intact: Rigsby is shooting his mouth off and Philip challenges him to a boxing match. Sure, it's the exact same idea as last week. It doesn't matter. It's really, really funny. The comedy comes from the conversations and Rigsby's ideas about the world. Most of the episode is devoted to Rigsby and Alan chatting. The landlord and tenant have a close friendship and - at this stage in the series' run - are willing to be each other's confidant. Even when Alan thinks the older man is completely wrong. Which is 100% of the time.

The physical comedy in this one is top notch. The exercise scenes and the actual boxing match are hilarious. The twist ending is delightful.

Season 2, Episode 4. "Moonlight and Roses" While this is still a very funny episode, it is much different to most other episodes of RD. It's a bit more sad. Rigsby wears his heart on a sleeve a bit more than usual in this one, he tries very hard to win Miss Jones and plays a very mean trick to try and derail her impending marriage. But it fails: Miss Jones still moves out at the end to get married.

Most of the humour in Rising Damp comes from the tenants (mostly just Philip) playing tricks on Rigsby. Rigsby (mostly) deserves it, because he's a know-it-all and should be taught a lesson from time to time. But this one is a bit different. He really is in love with Miss Jones. To their credit the boys try and shield him from heartbreak at the very start of the show, but - when that fails to work - Philip goes all out and sets him the landlord up for a fall. It's very, very funny. But, for the first time in the series, you cannot help but feel very sorry for Rigsby. He might have his flaws, but the guy did love Miss Jones.

His trick to ruin her marriage is very mean (funny, but mean). Seldom does he do something so out of character. Desperation, I suppose, drove him to it...

Gabrielle Rose (of Robson Arms) joins the cast in this one and makes a great first impression. When Brenda shows up in a very revealing top and tells Rigsby that she is a nude model, the show delivers one of it's best-ever moments. Watching the inept advances of the lecherous landlord is a real delight.

Season 2, Episode 5. "A Perfect Gentlemen" Rigsby's love for Miss Jones is one of the main engines that drives the stories on Rising Damp, but the show doesn't miss a beat now that the character of Miss Jones has moved out of the boarding house. Some episode's rely on Philip playing a prank on Rigsby (to teach him a lesson), but this isn't one of those. Rather, it goes back to another established trait of the landlord: Rigsby is a sycophant. Place him with someone he considers superior/important and he becomes hilariously obsequious. We saw it in Season One with the policeman, and we see it here again (to great effect) when a con-man moves in and convinces everybody that he is 'somebody'.

Except except Philip, that is. Long established as the smartest one of the bunch, this episode shows - once again - that he's nobody's fool. Best bit? Rigsby finding the money that Philip planted, putting his foot on it and being caught by Philip.

Season 2, Episode 6. "Last of the Big Spenders" Poverty drives the storyline in this very funny episode. Rigsby is trying to impress Brenda (the new tenant) but he has no money. It's a slim and very depressing premise, but with this writer and this cast it makes for another hilarious half-hour of television. That's the real skill and wonder of shows like Rising Damp and Steptoe & Son. They can take the most bleak of real-world scenarios and make us laugh out loud. Even when we've lived through them ourselves and know that there's nothing funny about them at all.

Season 2, Episode 7. "Things That Go Bump in the Night" Much more over-the-top than your typical Rising Damp episode. But still very funny.

Rigsby is scared of ghosts, so Alan dresses as a ghostly woman in order to sneak down to visit Brenda (who he is now dating). If you are willing to accept that Rigsby is stupid enough to fall for this, there are laughs to be had.

By the end, however, things are been stretched too far. A couple of priests have been called in to deal with the ghosts and everyone runs around as if it is a farce. It's not. Good effort, nonetheless.

Season 2, Episode 8. "For the Man Who Has Everything" It starts off slow (with too many guest characters), gets better (as the regulars arrive) and builds to a truly great comedy of misunderstanding.

Rigsby has been alone all over Christmas and he is in very bad form. All the early conversations are with guest characters and it lacks the spark of the usual starts. Most episodes seem to open with Rigsby and Alan deep in conversation. Random bickering with random strangers is just not as funny.

Soon Alan and Brenda arrive and things pick up considerably. Rigsby getting the same bad gift from both of them is very funny, but the episode kicks into high gear in the final third. Phillip arrives with a girl in tow. And when Rigsby meets her, he jumps to a spectacular wrong conclusion. Leonard Rossiter has seldom been funnier.

yaTVRp_s04e44

2009-08-17T01:04:00.002+01:00

Supernatural, Legend Of The Seeker, Michael And Michael Have Issues, Community, Barney Miller, Night Court

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s04e43

2009-08-10T00:17:00.003+01:00

Sons Of Tucson, Supernatural, Black Beauty, Doctor Who, Torchwood, In Plain Sight, Party Down, Kolchak: The Night Stalker

MP3 File

Mary Lynn Rajskub

2009-08-08T02:48:00.001+01:00

yaTVRp_s04e42

2009-07-27T00:03:00.003+01:00

Arrested Development

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s04e41

2009-07-23T23:46:00.002+01:00

Arrested Development

MP3 File

Boomtown episode list

2009-07-21T17:07:00.005+01:00

#01 Boomtown
#02 Possession
#03 The Squeeze
#04 Reelin' In The Years
#05 All Hallow's Eve
#06 The Freak
#07 Coyote
#08 Insured By Smith & Wesson
#09 Crash
#10 The David McNorris Show
#11 Monster's Brawl
#12 Sinaloa Cowboys
#13 Home Invasion
#14 Execution
#15 Storm Watch
#16 Fearless
#17 Blackout
#18 Lost Child
#19 The Love Of Money
#20 Inadmissible
#21 Wannabe
#22 Haystack
#23 The Hole-In-The-Wall Gang
#24 The Big Picture

I prefer to watch this series in Production Order.

Info from epguides.com

Raven episode list

2009-07-14T02:51:00.005+01:00

#01 Return Of The Black Dragons
#02 The Unseen Enemy
#03 Reunion
#04 Prey
#05 The Death Of Sheila
#06 And Everything Nice
#07 Is Someone Crazy In Here Or Is It Me?
#08 Playback
#09 The Journey
#10 Death Games
#11 Heat
#12 Bloody Beach
#13 Poisoned Harvest
#14 Rip-Off
#15 Wipe-Out
#16 Flori And Dori
#17 Disciples Of Dawn
#18 Something In The Closet
#19 Checkmate
#20 The Guardians Of The Night

I prefer to watch this series in Production Order.

Info from epguides.com

yaTVRp_s04e40

2009-07-13T00:06:00.002+01:00

Warehouse 13, Misfits Of Science, Arrested Development, It's Your Move, Doctor Who, Forever Knight

MP3 File

Dexter season two episode reviews

2009-07-12T15:59:00.005+01:00

Season 2, Episode 1. "It's Alive!" Twenty Five years ago, my Saturday Night TV always started out with MacGyver. Now, all these years later, I sit down to watch yet another TV hero who is good with his hands. But not in the same way. Nope, cos Dexter is a serial killer. So if you gave him a stick of gum he'd probably find a way to kill you with it!

Season 2 opens with Dexter in a state of turmoil, after the events of the Season 1 finale. So much so, that this episodes highlights two failed attempts to kill someone. Worse, his girlfriend knows that there is more to him than meets the eye, the cop on his tail is utterly relentless and - in the stunning final moments - his dumping ground for all the bodies is discovered and becomes a huge news story.

It's a great episode. But, I'm not sure I want the show to take this direction. Is Dexter himself going to be the subject of a massive police investigation? One of the things that I liked about Season One was the fact that nobody knew that Dexter's victims were the result of a serial killer. It meant, in effect, that all of Dexter's problems were in his head. If the show makes his killings the central story engine, it might limit the stuff they can do with the character. But, it will certainly make things more tense in the short run.

On a side note, Julie Benz has never looked more beautiful than in this episode. Before her nude scene, at the very start, she looked positively radiant. Beaming up at Dexter as he fed donuts to her kids. Rita usually looks tired and stressed, but there is a definite change in this episode. Up until the dramatic ending (and I certainly did not see that twist coming) and poor Rita is in tears. Benz has for a long time been one of my favourite actresses, and she is almost doing her best ever work on this show. Almost.

Season 2, Episode 2. "Waiting to Exhale" Dexter is delicious. The ending of this episode has one of the coolest twists I've ever seen. A real laugh-out-loud how-is-he-gonna-get-out-of-this-one moment. And it caps off another great episode. It's really the conclusion of the two-parter that starts off the new season, the new storyline and - I suppose - the new direction of the show. Dexter is still after the big bad guy who got away last week. And as the evidence piles up we (the audience) can see just how evil this guy is, and how much he deserves The Dexter Treatment. The fact that the guy can fight back, and is - in fact - ready for Dexter makes it all the more exciting for us to watch.

Rita gets some of the best scenes in the episode, however. She has really matured. Her way of dealing with Paul's death is fascinating to watch, and - as I said - her questioning of Dexter at the very end is the absolute highlight of the episode. Delicious.

Season 2, Episode 3. "An Inconvenient Lie" Since my favourite thing about this show is it's insight into the male mind when part of a relationship, my favourite parts of this episode are the ones where we see Rita withdrawing from Dexter as a means to getting him to do something she wants. Ultimately it's a good thing for him, and it certainly sets him off down an interesting path, but it's very interesting to see her tactics. It comes back to bite her anyway because, in the end, she finds that Dexter has made a new friend: a hot new friend. Hilarious ending, yes, but fascinating to see the way the script 'punishes' Rita for her earlier behaviour.

Season 2, Episode 4. "See-Through" Several highlights in this great episode: a very intense storyline for Doakes, the revelation that Laguerta was/is sleeping with her superior's boyfriend and Dexter's deepening friendship with his sponsor. Doakes is never given much to do and his constant tailing of Dexter this season was just starting to get annoying when they (wisely) brought it to a stop. This episode gives him a strong storyline and some (much-needed) character work. The stuff with Laguerta blew me away. I totally did not see that coming. Love it! I'm slowly warming to Lila. She's very much a TV cliché so far (we've seen this character many times on TV shows) but it'll be interesting to see how much of a part she comes to play in Dexter's world as the show progresses. Will he tell her his secret, I wonder?

Season 2, Episode 5. "The Dark Defender" Dexter briefly sees himself as comic-book hero in this one. Clever. Dexter has always reminded me of Wolverine. How cool to see him seeing himself in these terms. Also, the fact that he's saving his own mother in this vision makes it all the more interesting/sad. Truly the writers have turned Dexter into a complex and wonderful character (how much of who he is, is due to his father's well-meaning training?). And, it must be said, they have served all the characters in the show just as well. This episode has some wonderful stuff between Laguerta and Doakes. Interesting chiefly because of what we know about them from previous episodes. Laguerata fascinates me. I alternate between liking her and being shocked by her. Great stuff.

Season 2, Episode 6. "Dex, Lies, and Videotape" This is the one with the copycat killer. And both Dexter himself and the FBI are anxious to put an end to his antics. Making Dexter himself the focus on the investigations has certainly made his life-of-crime more interesting this Season, but the focus of the show is always his personal life. Rita dumps him, after (hilariously) overhearing a phone message from Lila. Dexter reacts badly and - to my great surprise - winds up in bed with Lila! Even more surprising he tells Rita about it, just as they are on the verge of getting back together. All these twists continue to make Dexter a fascinating character.

This is also the episode where his (adorable) sister hugs FBI Agent Lundy in a moment of unguarded joy. It's a wonderful scene. Perfectly played and sweet and joyful.

Season 2, Episode 7. "That Night, A Forest Grew" Fantastic. When the episode started I was suddenly smitten with Lila and concerned for her safety (given her new status as Dexter's girlfriend). All that stuff with the light bulb and the mysterious landlord had me worried. What direction was all this taking, I wondered? Was Lila going to 'cure' Dexter and then fall prey to some horrible murderer, which would then send Dexter back to his murderous ways, as he sought revenge?

Then, as the episode unfolded, my perception of Lila changed and - by the end of it all - I positively hated her.

That's some skillful storytelling, there.

Aside from the Lila stuff there was lots of cool goodness in this episode. Dexter takes the lead - for once - and sends the police on a merry chase. He also takes the battle to Doakes in a major way. And gets the good Sgt. booted from the police force. Nice.

Watching this show can be rather conflicting. Doakes is the bad guy. We hate him. But, he's the smartest person on that police force. He's the one that knows that Dexter is... iffy. He's the real hero here. And we hate him. For no other reason than the fact that he's on to Dexter. He's a threat to Dexter so we hate him. Cos we love Dexter more than anyone.

Then there's Lundy, the FBI guy that Dexter's sister kissed. We like him a lot. He's nice. But he's smart and he's making advances towards catching our hero. Shouldn't we hate him to?

Know what? A show that can make me hate Lila in the space of one episode probably has a lot of tricks up it's sleeve. I bet they can make me hate Lundy any old time they want. Clever bastards.

Season 2, Episode 8. "Morning Comes" Another superb episode, with a fair amount of twists and turns. The biggest shock in the episode (and there are many) has to be the sight of Doakes finding Dexter's hidden stash of blood samples. Blood taken from his victims. That's a real what-the-frak-happens-next moment.

Dexter (quickly) realises that he cannot trust Lila and brings their relationship to an ending (after she breaks into Rita's house). It's a show about a serial killer and his new girlfriend is the scary character in it.

Season 2, Episode 9. "Resistance Is Futile" My stomach is tied in knots after watching this amazing episode of Dexter. Surely the single best episode they have thus far delivered? The first half is constructed to make you think that Dexter has been found out. You are thinking to yourself that that cannot possibly be the case, yet how else do you explain what is happening?

The answer, when it comes, surprised me. It shouldn't have. I should have anticipated that Doakes would be a suspect. But I didn't. I could see it heading in this general direction, yes, with him storming out on the meeting with Lundy in the previous episode. But I did not expect things to move this fast. Pow! This show hits you between the eyes.

Barely had I processed the fact that Doakes had found Dexter's hidden stash of blood samples (last week) than the FBI has the box and is using it as the main evidence in their case against Doakes. Wow! I feel whiplash from the speed of that development. Yet, it makes perfect sense.

Then, before I have time to process that development, Dexter and Doakes are locked in a pitch battle to the death (which, of course, it isn't) with one of them getting shot and Doakes - finally - confronting Dexter about his murderous ways.

It's brilliant. But the show is brilliant in other ways, too. Usually, the fact that Dexter is a serial killer takes second place to the fact that he is socially inept. And, usually, the moments of high drama, come from Dexter's attempts to lead a normal life. This is not one of those episodes, however the scenes that depict Dexter's normal life are just as gripping as usual this week.

His ex-girlfriend showing up, in the midst of his friends, trying to pretend that all is rosy between them (while - in private - they have a blazing row) is a moment that pretty much every viewer can relate to. I know I can. Likewise, Dexter's humbling but honest/heartfelt apology to Rita struck a chord.

It's amazing. In the midst of a crazy, wonderful, OTT plot development about a serial killer covering his tracks this is still a show about a ordinary guy trying to navigate the pitfalls of everyday life.

Which is what makes it such a great television series.

Season 2, Episode 10. "There's Something About Harry" There's a lot of great stuff in this episode, but all I wanted to see was Dexter and Doakes. How can the show get out of this? I mean, Dexter likes Doakes. He can't actually kill him and still be our hero? Can he? At the mid-way point the episode makes you think that Dexter has actually decided to do the deed. But it proves to be - yet another - red-herring. The show has gotten really good at doing these.

Almost as exciting as the Doakes storyline: Lila. She drugs herself and passes out while on a date with Angel. To what? Frame him? Can't wait to see where this goes and what Dexter does about it...

Season 2, Episode 11. "Left Turn Ahead" A melancholy and unsatisfying episode of Showtime's drama about a likable serial killer.

It's a gloomy ride as Dexter puts his affairs in order and prepares to hand himself over to the police for his crimes. In the end he changes his mind after a conversation with his sister. And it's a pretty unconvincing turn of events. Seems like the writers painted themselves into a corner with this story and didn't know how to get out of it. A short, flippant comment from Debra is a weak solution. Had it been Rita and the kids (particularly the kids) I might have bought it. This? Not so much.

Season 2, Episode 12. "The British Invasion" A superb conclusion. The beauty of this chapter is that - before it starts - it is impossible to predict how it will all turn out, yet once it is over you cannot imagine it happening any other way.

I am shocked that Doakes is dead. I wasn't sure that he would die, and I never imagined that Lila would be the one to kill him. Clever writing. Great performance from Lauren Vélez in the aftermath of the death/discovery, too.

But the episode belongs to Jaime Murray as the evil Lila. Poor Lila. At different parts of the season I liked her and loathed her. In the end, there was almost nothing to sympathise with. She went after Rita's children for Frak's sake!! No sympathy left for her after that.

But the script is clever. Up until that last scene we were led to believe that she has gotten away scott free. Not so. Dexter found her. And justice was served.

It's been a great season. Better than the first. What's next for Dexter?

Friday Night Lights season two episode reviews

2009-07-08T19:00:00.004+01:00

Season 2, Episode 1. "Last Days of Summer" The Best Show On Television. Wonderful opening episode. Coach Taylor has been away from his family for a long time and it shows. The story deftly illustrates the impact his absence is having on the two women in his life: his wife in tears on the couch, his daughter ignoring the rules of the house. Without ever going over the top, the show shows us a family in pain. Lots of sadness in the Taylor household.

Julie is treating Matt like crap. Chasing an older boy and ignoring the one who loves her. To be fair to her, her boyfriend is being a bit of wimp about it and her own reasoning about why she is doing this (in the conversation with her father in the car) makes a whole lot of sense. It's not just me being fair to her, the script is fair to her. Her behaviour is that of a self-centered teen, yet the story allows us to feel for her and sympathise with her (even when she is being most unsympathetic).

Watching Coach Taylor suffer is also riveting. It's an age-old struggle: man wants to be at work to provide for family and wife wants man to be more attentive to her and the family. The best scene is probably the one where Coach sees how Buddy's family has fallen apart. Is it a warning signal? You bet it is!

Tyra and Landry are much closer now. It's a situation we've seen a lot of times before, but I'm utterly charmed by it all over again. The ending of the ending of the episode proved controversial when it first aired (Landry kills someone in a fight to protect Tyra). Fans didn't seem to like it. I do. I agree that it's a bit too sensational (and 'TV') for a such a low-key and realistic television show. I'm invested in these characters. St. Elsewhere was about intimate quite moments between very real people, too. And it often went way over the top and never lost it's touch. I have faith in Friday Night Lights to do the same.

Season 2, Episode 2. "Bad Ideas" Very weak episode. The episode goes to extreme lengths to show us that Coach is unhappy, and Mrs. Coach is unhappy. Enough already. Fix this! Put them back together. A man should be with his family. Someone has to move to be with someone. And fast.

The show loses some points with me for making the guy who replaced Taylor at the High School into a total jerk. There's no dilemma here. He will go and Taylor with return. It's too easy. And I expect FNL to deliver better than this.

Other storylines hit the mark. Everything with Tyra and Landry is a highpoint.

Season 2, Episode 3. "Are You Ready for Friday Night?" The first game of the season and... the Best Show On Television isn't quite as enjoyable this season. Coach Taylor left. The guy that replaced him is a bit of a jerk. Now, Taylor has decided to come back. And the jerk will be written out. Too easy.

Julie has been treating Matt like crap and has finally broken up with him. He is heart-broken. Meanwhile a beautiful home-help has arrived to help Matt take care of his grandmother and the sparks are flying. Hmm. Could it be that this will be Matt's new lover by the time Julie comes to her senses? Too easy.

Landry has struggled to win the heart of Tyra. Now that he's defended her honour (and, indeed, killed a man to save her) she is throwing herself into his bed. Once again, too easy.

And when things are this easy on FNL, I find myself losing interest.

The sparks of the show's greatness are still there however: Riggin's decline in this episode and his bout with religion. Tami hitting Julie and (later) crying about it to her husband were wonderful scenes. Wonderful in the sense that they were real and raw and painful to watch.

More of this please, and less of the 'too easy' stuff.

Season 2, Episode 4. "Backfire" Average episode. We get to see how guilty Landry and Tyra are feeling, as various scenes show us how paranoid they have become. Julie finds out that her boyfriend is... a normal guy, who's not that interested in her. Lyla tries to help a kid who's just gotten out of prison and Buddy steps in to help her help him. Down in Mexico, Street and Riggins investigate the possibility of surgery on Street's spine.

All good. But none of it particularly great.

The end was great, though. The (now-fired) rival Coach shows up on Eric's doorstep to remind him (before he drives out of town) that he has a family to worry about, too. It's a powerful, very real moment. Almost the only good thing to come out of this Eric-works-in-another-town storyline.

Season 2, Episode 5. "Let's Get It On" After a disappointing start to the second season, FNL delivers a perfect episode. Wow. Quite a ride this one. Every scene, every storyline, is a zinger. I loved it. The Tyra-Landry stuff is the best. He finds himself, suddenly, the star of the team (and all the best scenes in this episode are Landry scenes) and she finds herself in a confrontation with Landry's father (the always superb Glenn Morshower) and in a heart-breaking final scene, she breaks up with him. Then, quietly, goes to her car and cries her heart out.

Coach Taylor and Tami have some great scenes. He wants to kick-start the romance in the marriage again (after the arrival of the new baby) and it's hilarious to watch his plans in action. They really are the Best Couple on TV. Having Coach back with the team makes perfect sense, too. The whole storyline that had him living in another city was a waste of time/space. I'm glad it's over.

The complex friendship between Jason, Riggins and Lyla yields some wonderful scenes/moments in Mexico. The highlight was Riggins letting his guard down long enough to tell his friend that he loves him. Powerful moment.

Finally, Julie makes a play to get back with Matt and (very wisely) tells her to forget it. The Julie storyline has been superbly written and played. She's been behaving like a spoiled teenage bitch, but the writing has given us depth and motivation for every stupid thing she has done. Consequently our sympathies have always been with her. I feel a little sorry for her, as Matt walks away, but I still think he was doing the right thing.

In every way, this was the first perfect episode of the season. Every joke was funny, every shocking twist makes sense and every heartbreaking moment sends you reaching for the tissues. When the show does episodes like this, there is nothing on television that can touch it. Not even Lost.

Season 2, Episode 6. "How Did I Get Here" Almost perfect. Almost perfect. The fly in the ointment was the storyline with Tami and her sister. We've seen it a hundred times before: women don't get on with their sisters. Yada, yada. Fine, whatever. Everything else was golden.

Tim being cut from the team, seeing that his worth was defined by his membership in the team. Finally reaching out to help the new kid - Lyla's friend - at the very end. His conversation with Smash over the dinner table. Golden.

Jason Street's looking at his life and where it was going. And his decision to leave the team and his final conversation with Coach. Golden.

Landry and his father. Wow. Powerful. As his father realised the truth and set about covering up the crime in an effort to save his son from going to prison. Totally human and honest.

Julie seeing Matt with another woman. Very, very predictable. But I really felt for poor Julie. Through all her horrible behaviour the writing allowed us to feel for her. And I felt for her here, too. She's friends with Tyra. And Jason bonded with Tyra in one memorable episode in the firs season. What do they have in common? They are the only three characters who have expressed the desire to find out what there is outside of Dillon, Texas. The only ones who - at one stage or another - have thought to ask: is there more to life than this?

I loved all the stuff with Coach and Buddy - as they discussed his reduced salary - because it captured something very close to real life in those scenes.

It maybe have disappointed me (by giving Tami a duff storyline and ignoring Tyra's feeling in the aftermath of the break-up with Landry) but this was still one of the show's best episodes. Very, very close to perfect.

Almost perfect.

Season 2, Episode 7. "Pantherama!" Smash steps into the spotlight. Finally. Smash is one of my favourite characters. Who am I kidding? They are all one of my favourite characters. But I've been waiting, this season, for a Smash-centric episode. This one is great. Most of it is Smash fighting with his mother over his future. And, in true FNL style, it's not important that it's about football. It's the age-old struggle between parent and child over future. Where the child's optimism is seen as arrogance and the parent's concern is seen as negativity. Wonderful story, wonderfully told.

Santiago has become one of my favourite characters. His exchange with Buddy at the very end (where he said that this was his first bed) was heartbreaking. Under-played by both actors and totally heartbreaking.

Meanwhile, Tim Riggins can't find a bed. Tyra takes him in, but ultimately kicks him out and he finds himself is a less-than-ideal situation. Riggins is in freefall and I feel for him. I see no end in sight.

Matt kisses the girl who looks after his grandmother. It was a long time coming, but it was a great moment. And it makes more sense that Matt would fall for a girl like that, rather than the vapid cheerleader he's been kissing lately.

Julie, meanwhile, falls for the journalist teacher. Bit of a cliché... but it basically works.

We get a good Tyra/Landry scene in this episode but no sign of them getting back together. Frak! Frak! Frak!

Season 2, Episode 8. "Seeing Other People" I love when shows pairs characters together that do not normally share screen time. Lyla and Landry have a pivotal conversation in this episode. The guilt of the crime he committed bears heavy on him and (without knowing the details) Lyla urges him to come clean, and tell the truth. It's a great scene.

So is the scene where Tim Riggins apologises to everyone on the team. It's a surprise move and it works. Coach agrees to let him back. Tim has hit rock bottom and seen life without the team. It's pretty bleak. Has he learned his lesson or will he mess it all up again?

Matt breaks up with his girlfriend and - finally - gets things started with the girl who looks after his grandmother. The screen positively sizzles with their chemistry.

Finally, this is a rare episode that shows Tami in an unflattering light. Going too far to protect her daughter from a friendly teacher. Tami rarely makes mistakes, but she steps over the line in this one and the big confrontation scene with her daughter is painful.

An honest episode. A perfect episode.

Season 2, Episode 9. "The Confession" Tami and Julie have more mother-daughter moments. It's good... Don't get me wrong. But haven't they done this already? Or is this different in some way too subtle for me to pick up on?

Much, much better is all the stuff with Santiago and Buddy. I don't know what to think. After Buddy dropped the ball (ha-ha! a FNL joke!) with Riggins a few weeks back, I keep thinking he'll make a mess of things with/for Santiago. But, in this story, he appears to give some really good advice and Santiago gets to not only play at the end but also understand what it's all about: playing with/for your team. Powerful/moving storytelling.

Jason has a dreadful date but, predictably ends up with the waitress. Predictable but irresistibly cute nonetheless.

And, in the main storyline, Landry is cleared of all charges. His guilt/stubbornness nearly ruins things for him. He and Tyra are back on speaking terms now, even hugging and stuff, but they are not dealing with their relationship. Which is what I want to see/hear. Is she going to tell him (on camera) why she said those horrible things to him?

Glenn Morshower continues to steal this show out from under it's named stars in exactly the same way he has been stealing 24 for all these seasons. He's awesome. Every show needs to cast this man in some supporting role. Immediately!

Season 2, Episode 10. "There Goes the Neighborhood" Poor Tim Riggins. Guy just can't catch a break, can he? Most of this episode shows how the Taylor household adjusts to having Tim living there full time. And, to my surprise and delight, it adjusts pretty darn well. Eric, in particular, seems happy to have another male in the house.

But it all turns sour over a misunderstanding and, as the episode comes to a close, Tim has to flee the house in the middle of the night. Very unjust.

But great storytelling.

Season 2, Episode 11. "Jumping the Gun" Smash and Coach Taylor are the two featured characters in this episode. Smash has been overlooked this season, sadly, but this is a great story for him. Eric Taylor is usually well featured in most episodes, of course, but this is one of his best stories and Kyle Chandler is simply fantastic in the role. He should be getting an Emmy (or a Golden Globe) for work like this. Instead, he doesn't even get nominated...

Smash is trying to decide what to do after High School. His mother and he are in conflict over this. He doesn't want to listen to her, and she is in pain as she prepares to let go of her son. It's a well-told wonderful, very human, storyline. Smash and his mother are two of the very best characters this show has. A Texas version of John Connor and his mother Sarah!

Life for Eric Taylor is a series of confrontations and apologies in this episode. Conflicts with Tim Riggins, Coach Dickes, Shelley and - even - his wife drive the story. A story of dignity within humility. Tales like this are why FNL is more akin to Homicide or St. Elsewhere than soap operas like 90210. Everything about it is real.

Best scene? Eric tells Smash to go home and listen to his mother. Watching that gave me tingles at the base of my spine. All television drama should be so good...

Season 2, Episode 12. "Who Do You Think You Are?" A mixed bag. Some stories are great, and some are pedestrian.

Carlotta leaves Matt. It's a lazy ending to a pointless storyline. Corlotta was just somebody for Matt to be with while he wasn't with Julie, and the show made no great effort to turn her into anything more. Which is a pity.

Lila, meanwhile, starts working at a Christian Radio station and Riggins makes a play for her. He arrives, flowers in hand, to find her in mid-smooch with her on-air co-host. Predictable, predictable, predictable. Sigh, sigh, sigh.

Over in the Taylor house, Coach and Tami try to figure out what to do with Gracie during the day (when they are both at work). They have the ol' should-the-woman-quit-her-job-to-mind-the-baby conversation. Predictable.

The only good storylines are the ones devoted to Smash and Santiago. So, all told, this is a disappointing and ordinary episode.

Season 2, Episode 13. "Humble Pie" Jason becomes a car salesman, Tim makes a play for Lyla and Landry has a new admirer. It's all good. Tami starts coaching school volleyball and - in the episode's best storyline - Smash faces charges for what happened in the previous episode.

It's a real winner all round. It's corny as hell, but I really felt like cheering when Jason sold that car and - I know I've seen it on many shows before - but I really enjoyed seeing Tyra get jealous of Landry's new 'girlfriend'.

Tim Riggins was in three storylines: paying back the stolen money, trying to win Lyla's heart and being attacked by Tyra and the volleyball team. Later on, as Smash's friends sat beside him as the news crew got his side of the story, I was reminded of one of these reasons I love this show most. It does feel like a small town. A town where all these different people are friends and hang out. A town where the guy cleaning up after the volleyball team, might also be a guy trying to win the heart of a beautiful girl while he dodges bullets from a vengeful drug dealer.

FNL has captured something here, and it's great fun to watch it.

Season 2, Episode 14. "Leave No One Behind" Smash urges the team on to victory (even though he is no longer one of them), Matt Saracen goes on a drinking binge with Tim Riggins, Tyra confronts Lance, uh, Landry to tell him how she feels about him. And Tami and her daughter have another fight. Or is it the same fight? Being repeated over and over...

FNL is a great show, but it does repeat itself a lot. The show has three identical love triangles, for instance.. It looks like Tim and Lyla are fated to be together, but for the time being Lyla is dating Chris. It looks as if Matt and Julie are fated to be together, but for the time being Matt is dating Carlotta. It looks as if Landry and Tyra are fated to be together, but for the time being Landry is dating Jean.

Chris, Carlotta and Jean are badly sketched characters, added to the story to serve a single purpose: act as an obstacle to true love. Jean is easily the best character of the three, and Brea Grant is wonderful in the role, so much so that I was really sad for her when Landry broke it off to go kiss Tyra.

The episode's best scenes, however, belong to Smash as he deals with the destruction of his future. It's been a wonderful storyline: Smash may have been hot-headed but he's never done anything wrong and he's taking a severe punishment from fate. It's not fair, but it makes great television.

Season 2, Episode 15. "May the Best Man Win" A flawless conclusion to season two finds Smash having good fortune (for a change), Jason about to become a father and Eric in a fistfight with an ex-boyfriend of Tami's.

Picking highlights from this wonderful episode is next to impossible, but I'd have to go for the Eric storyline. Tami's abrasive, millionaire ex-boyfriend (Peter Berg) shows up in town and Eric isn't pleased. Most of the scenes between Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton are laugh-out-loud funny. And, in most of those, Kyle Chandler isn't speaking. Just reacting to what is happening around him.

The ongoing Smash storyline (which has been a major highlight of Season Two) comes to a happy conclusion when Smash finds a college that is willing to take him in.

Meanwhile, Jason looks set to be starting an exciting new chapter in his life.

yaTVRp_s04e39

2009-07-05T23:58:00.002+01:00

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, All In The Family, The Rockford Files, Harry O, Catweazle, Are You Being Served?

MP3 File

yaTVRp_s04e38

2009-07-02T19:57:00.004+01:00

How I Killed Jeff Goldblum by johnskelton.blogspot.com

MP3 File

It all started with one joke tweet (Looks like Jeff Goldblum is dead as well..) at 2:06 AM Jun 26th.

By 4:24 AM Jun 26th it was one of the top Trending Topics on twitter and I, myself, was Re-Tweeting it too (Jeff Goldblum dead, too? No way! That's gotta be false...)

Hours later it had made it's way onto national TV and newsfeeds and websites around the world.

The whole story behind the story is posted here: http://johnskelton.blogspot.com

MP3 file

yaTVRp_s04e37

2009-06-22T00:56:00.002+01:00

The Unusuals, Barney Miller, Breaking Bad, Doctor Who, In Plain Sight, Burn Notice

MP3 File

5 Funny Scenes

2009-06-19T05:01:00.009+01:00

Saw these recently:

Z Rock. "Season 1, Episode 9" There's a great scene where Dina (Lynne Koplitz) has an argument with her aunt (Joan Rivers) over money and stuff. Thing is: Rivers is doing her QVC show at the time, the phone call is live on air and Rivers keeps trying to interest her niece in buying a watch.

Supernatural. Season 4, Episode 8. "Wishful Thinking" The boys find a town where wishes come true and when a mysterious creature steals booze and porn mags from a corner store they follow the trail... to a little girl in a suburban house (!) who wished that her teddy bear was real.

Well the teddy bear is real, alright. Real, belligerent and depressed.

The scene is funny because... hey! it's a big angry teddy bear watching CNN, and because the reactions of Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are priceless.

Arrested Development. Episode 2. "Top Banana" Mid-way through this episode we get a quick scene, from CCTV footage, of Gob - the magician in the family - buying a dove for his act.

The store owner asks Gob if he wants a box and Gob arrogantly refuses. Declaring, as he is wont to do, that he is 'a magician'.

He then walks triumphantly to the door... bumps up against it and kills the poor dove in his pocket.

Corner Gas. Season 5, Episode 13. "Outside The Box" The pre-titles sequence finds Hank trying out a new 'joke' on Brent and Wanda. Basically this involves saying 'that's what she said!' after the others speak. After this has happened a few times, Brent and Hank have a quick Q&A with regard to double entendres and the correct use of that particular catchphrase.

At which point Davis, who had been filling his car with gas outside, pops his head in the door to complain to Brent that there's a problem because Brent's nozzle is way too big and won't come out.

Cut to Hank: Standing in oblivious wonder.

Long silence.

NewsRadio. Season 3, Episode 8. "Movie Star" James Caan visits and Matthew (Andy Dick) turns into a nervous wreck because he idolises Caan and because Caan can be very intimidating.

There are many wonderful moments, made really, really funny because of Caan's reactions, but the highlight - for me - comes when Matthew asks for an autograph then loses the pen inside his own clothing and proceeds to do a wriggly dance to get the pen to fall back out.

Best of this bunch? Supernatural (a real teddy bear)

My Boys season three episode reviews

2009-06-17T21:58:00.002+01:00

Season 3, Episode 1. "Welcome Back, Kalla Fötter" Bobby doesn't get married.

Man, it seems like a long time since the cliff-hanger that ended season 2. And, to be honest, much as I love this show, it took me a while to get back 'into' the situation again.

The first half of the episode was very much like an extended 'catch-up' and - to be honest - I think the show could have skipped it, and brought us back to the characters 'several weeks' later.

Anyway, what's important is that PJ told Bobby how she feels and the ending was simply wonderful. Television to make you cheer and leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling for the rest of the evening.

Lovely.

Season 3, Episode 2. "Private Eyes" The show deals with the PJ/Bobby romance by not writing about it, at all. Instead, we see how it will affect the group and - as a by-product - we get to see what a cool couple PJ and Bobby really are.

Not only is this a very funny show (and serious contender for funniest show on TV) it's also a major 'feel good' show. This is a good bunch of people, and they are cool to hang with.

Season 3, Episode 3. "The Boyfriend Hat" PJ gets her own column, but is it because she is hot? Andy advises Bobby on being a good boyfriend. Mike and Kenny realise that they are treated better in a new club, when they are with Brendan.

Lots of funny scenes, and a typically enjoyable episode, but it lacks focus. It lacks a central engine to drive the episode. The did-PJ-get-the-job-because-she's-hot? storyline is surprisingly awkward and lacking in insight. Doing pretty much the same story with Brendan is a stroke of genius, however, and leads to some very funny (and oddly surreal) moments.

Andy, as ever, steals the episode with his one-liners and advice to Bobby. Advice which, as anyone who has read "Men Are From Mars..." will tell you, is actually pretty damn good. Way to go, Andy!!!

However, since the episode is called "The Boyfriend Hat" I was expecting more of this Andy/Bobby stuff, than two/three scenes. Almost as if this was two or three scripts combined into one episode. Too many strong ideas, not enough time to develop them all.

Season 3, Episode 4. "Decathlon: Part Deux" The gang competes in a board game decathlon, while Stephanie wants to write about the guys for a Cosmo article and PJ tries to cope with criticism from Bobby.

A so-so episode. Many, many scenes are devoted to watching the gang goof off. Fans will find this amusing. New viewers? Not so much.

The show is doing a great job, I feel, of writing PJ and Bobby as a couple. Adjusting to one another as partners, instead of friends. By keeping these moments are b-plot stuff in the episodes it seems more natural somehow.

I liked the Stephanie storyline. The scene with Andy at home was hilarious and the ending (where she had something good to say about men) was unexpected and clever.

So, a so-so episode. With the season being so short, I kinda feel like this was a waste of an episode somehow.

Season 3, Episode 5. "Carpe Burritoem" Kenny and Andy in a band, PJ advising Brendan on everything, Mike and Bobby acting as dummies at Stephie's seminar on dumping guys.

Much better than last week, with strong stories for everyone and many very funny moments. While the Kenny/Andy stuff could be from any sit-com the show still manages to make it fresh and fun. The other stories were more unique to this show, playing up one of the strengths of the show: PJ is a girl among guys and knows more than they do about some stuff.

Season 3, Episode 6. "Madder of Degrees" Spring weather makes everyone do something crazy.

I'm not sure if this is a total oddball episode, or a very clever way of dealing with PJ and Bobby's attempt to move in together.

The idea that the change of seasons would make everyone go complete crazy is a tad silly for this show, but the results are funny...

And it does lead easily into a wonderful tale about PJ and Bobby's relationship.

Oddball or clever?

Season 3, Episode 7. "Facebook the Past" PJ meets an ex, and encourages Bobby to keep in touch with his ex's. Kenny's obsession with Facebook spreads to the gang.

The strongest episode this season and possibly the best episode of the show so far. It's really, really funny and it captures the feeling one gets from being with a group of friends, while - and this is why I love it - reflecting the changes that affect us all in this age of online social network sites (like Facebook).

Lots of what happened had me chuckling and nodding in agreement.

But more important than that: lots of what happened had me laughing hysterically.

Season 3, Episode 8. "Friends of Friends" PJ makes friends with a friend of Stephanie's. Mike and Kenny invite a friend to the gang. Brendan wants Bobby to speak to his friend (Brendan's boss) on his behalf.

The show effortlessly takes on a topic and makes it funny. Having Martin Mull as a guest helps.

It doesn't matter that it's predictable. It's funny and the cast shines.

Season 3, Episode 9. "Spring Training" Arizona.

Another of those complete-departure-from-formula episode that the show likes to do. This time out the whole gang (except Andy) head to Arizona for Cubs spring training.

Most of the episode is devoted to PJ trying to find suitable subject matter for her next column. She finds it by the end of the episode and learns a lesson. And - to be honest - it's a sweet enjoyable journey and it makes for a good episode.

The episode's cliff-hanger ending is wonderful. But frustrating. The show teased us with a potential romance between two of the regular characters in the last moments of Season Two. They ignored this development all season and, now, in the closing seconds of Season Three they unveil the next stage in the romance!!

Huh?

The show only gets 9 episodes a season. Why don't they hurry it up a bit, huh? Dragging something like this (which promises to be a lot of fun to watch) out for two years before showing it is very frustrating to the fans.

Just sayin'...

The Closer season four episode reviews

2009-06-16T16:44:00.003+01:00

Season 4, Episode 1. "Controlled Burn" A great performance from Jason O'Mara (returning to the show) highlights another solid Closer outing. It's fun watching Brenda and the gang do their thing, and the show usually delivers very strong stories. Like this one about an arsonist.

Season 4, Episode 2. "Speed Bump" Having Brenda and Flynn differ over how to treat the murder of a murderer is hardly original. We've seen it before. What makes it (just about) worth watching are the subtle character moments between them and the acting from the guest cast. I also loved the bit at the very end where Brenda put aside the wine bottle and lay down to sleep beside Fritz. Very romantic.

Season 4, Episode 3. "Cherry Bomb" Serious contender for best ever episode. A recently-raped girl commits suicide and Commander Taylor turns to Brenda to bring the case home. There's no homicide so Brenda breaks every rule in the book to get the rapist for what he did. And only Taylor knows why she's doing it. And she's doing it because her frequence nemesis feels guilty over his handling of the case. What's not to love here? The case-of-the-week is a real heartbreaker: great guest performances from Andrea Bowen and Marcella Lentz-Pope really sell the heartbreak and shame of the crime, while Daniel Baldwin and Michael William Freeman give us two slimy bad-guys to hiss at. It's great. The scenes between Brenda and Taylor are all superb. They have been enemies so many times on this show, and so much of that came from the fact that Taylor had no respect for Brenda. The fact that he can reach out now, when he needs help, is a measure of how much his opinion of Brenda has changed over the years. And the fact that Brenda can take that hand grasping for her help and do everything in her power for him speaks volumes about her character and why the fans (and her team) love her so much. Yes, she is deeply flawed but aside from that she is magnificent. And never more so than when breaking the rules to do what is right. A great story, with many great moments and clever touches.

Season 4, Episode 4. "Live Wire" Less of the "breaking the rules to do what is right" and more of the "deeply flawed" this time out. The final fight between Brenda and her boyfriend was painful to watch. Painful because she was so so wrong. Oh Brenda, how can you put this right?

It was also painful to watch all the fighting between Gabriel and Daniels. It's been building all season, in little glances and comments here and there, but now that it is out in the open: I'm sad. And saddened also by Brenda's treatment of Gabriel. He used to be her favourite, once upon a time.

Soap Opera elements aside, this was another superb crime story and the whole team got a chance to shine.

Season 4, Episode 5. "Dial M for Provenza" After two serious (and heartbreaking) episodes in a row, the show (wisely) delivers a funny one. Funny? It's frakkin' hilarious. Provenza (a great character played by the wonderful G.W. Bailey) takes center-stage and the wonderful Jennifer Coolidge guests as his nemesis. Coolidge only really does one thing but she does it really, really well and she is perfect for this role. There are many, many comedy highlights and the episode nicely distracts us from the turmoil in the private lives of several of the regulars. A turmoil which, I'm sure, we will return to in future episodes.

Season 4, Episode 6. "Problem Child" Dark stuff. He might only be 13 but the child at the centre of this story is a disturbed individual. He's the victim. And, as the team investigates, they discover that a lot of people had a lot of very good reasons for wanting him dead. In many ways it's more like a Without A Trace episode than an episode of The Closer, because the story really paints a full picture of the victim and who he was. Superb storytelling.

The final scene, where Brenda and her boyfriend talk about a new house (but are really talking about whether they will have kids or not) is heartbreaking and masterful.

Season 4, Episode 7. "Sudden Death" A very sad episode (and a great performance from Raymond Cruz) as the brother of one of the best dressed cops on TV gets shot down in the street near his house. The episode tells a good story and delivers are lot of great moments for several of the characters. It's one of those outings where we get to observe the whole team in a moment of crisis and it's fascinating to watch how everyone reacts to Sanchez and to see who reaches out to him and how. The Closer has a great ensemble, but it's not an ensemble show and episodes like this make me wish that it was.

Stephen Martines returns again as the confrontational reporter who's not afraid to stand up to Brenda and his short scene adds a whole new level to the story as it asks about the reasons behind what makes some murders a priority. Great episode.

Season 4, Episode 8. "Split Ends" Brenda's delightful parents make another visit as The Best Dressed Cops On TV go after a man who battered his wife (and probably killed her). With Provenza's backstory in the mix, and Brenda's dad pushing her to get married, the script is as much about marriage/couples as it is about standing up to bullies.

Season 4, Episode 9. "Tijuana Brass" Surely this is one of the show's cleverest endings ever? Brenda sends the bad guy to prison under the wrong name. She uses the name of the man that he has marked for death. And when he is killed (which we learn in the closing seconds) it means that his intended victim is free to start a new life with new name. Clever Brenda.

This is also a good episode for showing us how much she cares about her team. And (in a rare moment of gushing praise) she shows them how much she cares, too. Nice.

Season 4, Episode 10. "Time Bomb" Teenagers plan to go on a killing spree in this untypical episode. One of them is dead before the episode starts (it is his death that starts the investigation) and a second one is dead in police custody by the mid-part of the episode. After that, the police assume that the threat is over. But the script leaves enough questions unanswered to keep the viewer (and Brenda) unconvinced. The tension builds until most of the regular characters are caught in the middle of a long, graphic gun battle. Slow-motion violence is not normally what you expect to see on The Closer, but when they go this route they really pull out all the stops. It's stunning television. And makes for a great cliffhanger when Sanchez takes three bullets in the back...

Season 4, Episode 11. "Good Faith" A death, previously ruled a suicide, is now being investigated as a murder. Which requires a delicate touch. So, obviously, they gave the case to Brenda...

The events of the previous cliffhanger are now a distant memory and Sanchez is now back at work, but not at full duty. The episode deviates somewhat from formula by not having a live crime scene for the team to investigate. Instead they have to make do with photos of the body and a mannequin on the floor. It's not much of a change, but it does make an otherwise average story a bit more interesting.

Season 4, Episode 12. "Junk in the Trunk" A very large man is found dead in the trunk of his car.

A mixed bag of an episode. It has some severe flaws: the twist that the 'girl' will turn out to be a 'guy' is very, very easy to predict and the unprofessional behaviour of Sanchez in the squad room is difficult to swallow. It's just too darn crazy to work.

However... the opening sequence is genuinely hilarious, the bad-guy-of-the-week is one of the very best they have ever had on the show and the episode's real twist (where Fritz finds a way to nab the killer) is a doozy.

So... it's a mixed bag. The stuff that doesn't work falls flat, and the stuff that does work is off the chart excellent.

Bottom line: I enjoyed it.

Season 4, Episode 13. "Power of Attorney" The suspect's clever lawyer is, himself, the suspect's partner in crime.

For the second week in a row Brenda matches wits with a very, very clever bad guy. This time, however, she loses and the guy gets away with it.

As gripping an hour of TV as you are ever likely to see. This is superb stuff.

Season 4, Episode 14. "Fate Line" Text messages on an abandoned phone point to murder.

A great case-of-the-week and a great guest star (Amy Sedaris). One of the things that impresses me most about "The Closer" is the way it can change tone. Sometimes it is funny and silly, and sometimes it is deadly serious and dramatic. Last week's episode was one of the most dramatic and intense, so this week - to change pace - they deliver a hilarious episode. Even so, the case-of-the-week is still very clever (revolving around texts messages on a phone that has been found on the street). Amy Sedaris makes a fantastic addition to the show's extended cast and I hope we see more of her in the seasons ahead.

Season 4, Episode 15. "Double Blind" Brenda works a robbery/murder case on the day of her wedding.

There's a nice bit at the very end (when Fritz and Brenda have a heartfelt exchange just after their wedding) but this is a very weak episode to close out the fourth season. The wedding itself is a total anti-climax and the case-of-the-week is boring and simplistic. The resolution might be the weakest they have ever had on the show: one suspect is tricked into saying bad things about the other, and the other hears this, and starts talking. Yawn.

I want a third season of Reaper

2009-06-16T13:24:00.005+01:00

85% of poll respondents at this blog are Reaper fans, and want to see the show renewed for a third season.

While this is only a small fraction of site visitors over the past two weeks, I'm going to go ahead and assume/hope that it's a representative sample :)

Since this is not a Reaper-only site and I cover a lot of other shows the result interests me. It could just as easily have been a huge 'No' vote, people who come here to read/hear about other stuff and - frankly can't stand Reaper. I'm sure most site visitors weren't interested in my Cavemen episode reviews this week :)

Reaper, however, is liked. At least around here. Yay.

Seems like the only person who doesn't like Reaper very much, anymore, is Dawn Ostroff. (Maybe she was one of the 'No' votes?)

Law And Order season eighteen episode reviews

2009-06-16T02:53:00.003+01:00

Season 18, Episode 1. "Called Home" A pedestrian story can't hide the fact that Law & Order has a cool cop again. Jeremy Sisto makes a superb impression in his debut. He's a great screen presence and steals every scene he appears in. I have not watched Law & Order in many, many years, but this might make me want to go back. I hope the second episode has a decent story, not dated rubbish like this.

Season 18, Episode 2. "Darkness" Lupo's second case is much better than his first. A murder and kidnapping occurs during a city-wide black-out. Consequently it feels like no episode of Law & Order I ever saw back in the 90s. It's also got a few good action scenes, where Lupo comes off as a very determined cop indeed. He and Green work well together.

Season 18, Episode 3. "Misbegotten" The strongest episode so far. Lupo, once again, is great fun to watch (breaking the rules to track down a bomber). There's a clumsy attempt to give Green a backstory, but this is Lupo's show all the way. Great work, too, from guest star Kevin Rankin.

Season 18, Episode 4. "Bottomless" Great! An engrossing, complex (but never confusing) story. A young lawyer is murdered over a pair of pants (!!), and the case leads our heroes to a multinational corporation with far too much power. It's riveting from start to finish, and does one of the things that this show does best: create truly hateful bad guys and make us think that they will get away with it because of legal loop-holes. I've liked Lupo since the start of the season, but this is the first episode where I've really liked Cutter and been impressed by him. I loved his stunt at the end, and his attitude is starting to impress me almost as much as Lupo's.

Season 18, Episode 5. "Driven" is another example of Law And Order at it's very best. Unlike the previous episode (which had a complex story of international crime) this one is very much about the shooting of one little girl. And, without ever making a bit deal about her death, the episode manages to make it all the more sad and haunting. The events surrounding her shooting involve two irresponsible parents urging their children into a racially-motivated confrontation. And both end up on trial at the same time. Superb.

Season 18, Episode 6. "Political Animal" The show often sends it's detectives down the wrong path for much of their investigation. This is one of those times. Three victims and the guys investigate the wrong one for the first third of the episode. It's a device, I suppose, to tell two stories and - more importantly - allow the 'main storyline' to occupy as much time as it needs without any padding. So, in this episode we get to see the story of a politician who is secretly gay and living a double life. And, once the real motive/killer is found, we switch to the story of con-man working amid the politicians of New York. He's a fascinating character and it's a fascinating episode. John Ortiz gives a stunning performance as the deluding (and deluded) central character, and the episode gives us a fascinating insight into his mindset.

Season 18, Episode 7. "Quit Claim" It opens with a gut-wrenching crime. Horrific yet kept off-screen in this classy series. You are outraged and cannot wait for the cops/heroes to arrive to make sure justice is done. Green and Lupo do not disappoint. They are two of TV coolest cops. Yet, as is normal on this show, the case is full of twists and turns and - in the end - the killer gets away. It's a superb story. With great story arcs for McCoy (who is bad-ass cool as he goes up against the US Attorney's Office) and Cutter (who is severely tempted to do the wrong thing for the right reasons). His dilemma in the final minute of the episode gives the tale a powerful emotional climax. Alana De La Garza gets a lot of screen time in this one and we get a good sense of how Rubirosa operates (going undercover with Lupo, spotting a vital clue and managing to pull a very clever stunt in the courtroom using an old photograph or herself). It's also fun to watch how the men behave around to this very beautiful woman: Lupo stealing a kiss while undercover and Cutter making blatant reference to her being way out of his league. She is! And split-second moments like this do wonders to humanise the characters in an otherwise story-driven tv series.

Season 18, Episode 8. "Illegal" When it looks as if a cop might have killed an innocent bystander during a riot, the case causes problems for Van Buren, Lupo and McCoy. The episode glances at the first two, and devotes most of it's second half to Jack McCoy: one of television's greatest heroes, played to perfection (once again) by Sam Waterston. Waterson is so suited to the role of "the boss" that's it's hard to believe he spent more than a decade being "the lead". Jeremy Sisto and Linus Roache are terrific, too. Very cool. And I loved their little exchange as Lupo read his law book. But the episode belongs to McCoy and his speech on the stand was wonderful. Bad-ass cool.

Season 18, Episode 9. "Executioner" Death Sentence Gone Wrong! Another one of those great episodes were there are no clear bad guys, just a lot of moral ambiguity. Except for Cutter, who sees the world in black and white. Connie proves her value to the team (yet again) by reining him in at the end of the episode and helping bring about a milder sentence. Michael Rooker and James Rebhorn give great performances in this one. And it's a satisfying, if typical, episode of Law And Order.

Season 18, Episode 10. "Tango" Michael Cutter has a hopeless crush on Connie Rubirosa and it's part of the reason I am in love with this show (all over again). This is the one that has Connie getting an email praising her technique in the courtroom. Her technique and her legs. Cutter comments that he agrees. I don't blame him. I would pay good money to see Alana De La Garza walk around a room. She's amazing. And, as a die-hard fan who watched every episode of the Angie Harmon/Jill Hennessy/Carey Lowell seasons, I think De La Garza is the most beautiful woman who has ever sat in the A.D.A. chair on Law And Order. Great then, to see an episode about her appearance and it's effect on the men/man in the jury and the case under trial.

The show slipped up somewhat by getting the guy in the jury to play it like a creep (that wasn't needed to make the story work, and - in fact - kinda damaged it) but it was still a great episode. The final debate scene was superb. Cutter and Rubirosa arguing their respective corners and Jack standing watching. Watching and listening and saying... nothing. Great character work. I feel like I really know and love these two new characters as much as I know and love Jack. And it's a good story idea: the impact a woman's sexuality can have on her success in the workplace. And, unlike many other shows that have touched on this idea, Law And Order gives it just the right amount of screentime and doesn't let it interfere with the case-of-the-week.

Season 18, Episode 11. "Betrayal" The highlight of this episode is a very strong story with a great twist ending. Basically, when you boil it down to essentials: A woman shoots and kills her husband when she finds taped messages from him to a woman he loves. In the end, it is revealed that the messages were to her. The story is a lot more complex than that, but that's the essence of it, and it's a heartbreaking twist. Moira Kelly (who I normally don't like) is very good as the wife whose husband, a therapist, has a history of seducing underage girls (her!) and is suspected of doing it again. The script does a great job of putting forward both sides of the story and (the ever-wonderful) Carolyn McCormick returns to the show for a substantial part in the story. Olivet (always a favourite character of mine) goes head to head with McCoy and comes off worst in the battle when he reveals that she had an affair with (I presume) Mike Logan.

Law And Order has come to life again this season (for me) with a slew of great new characters (Lupo, Cutter, etc.) but I'm glad they are still giving meaty roles to the ones I've always liked (McCoy, Olivet, etc.).

Season 18, Episode 12. "Submission" An unrecognisable Lara Flynn Boyle can't save this episode from mediocrity. She's good. But it's an average tale of people plotting a murder and framing their friend. Average fare for a quality show like this.

Season 18, Episode 13. "Angelgrove" In a show without continuity and character development, fans jump on any moment of either. Such it is with me in this latest episode. McCoy and Olivet had harsh words in a previous episode (when he engineered it so her affair with a cop would come out) and in this one there's a line of dialogue where he attempts to mend the bridge between then (thanking her for helping out on the current case). She declines to respond and leaves the room.

It's a strong case-of-the-week. Nothing new in it, really but still a great story: a camp where Christian kids are trained as Soldiers Of God, and one of them goes home and stones his adulterous mother to death.

Lead guest star Sean Astin gives a great performance. When does he ever give a bad one?

Season 18, Episode 14. "Burn Card" GREAT. A script with a very difficult job. Since this is the last episode for Jesse L. Martin, the story has to service him and his character (Ed Green) so that his fans won't feel short-changed. It succeeds. Green shoots a criminal, appears to have planned the murder to cover his own dark deeds (as if!) and is cleared with the revelation that he is covering for someone that he feels responsible for. At the end, he walks out as even more of a hero. Nice.

Amazingly, the script is not dominated by Green. In fact, four of the other five regulars get very meaty roles. The episode gives Jeremy Sisto/Lupo lots of key scenes, too. Confusion over his partner's involvement, passion to clear Green, outrage over the way the D.A.'s are handling it, etc. Lupo continues to be my favourite new TV cop.

Speaking of the D.A.'s this is one of the best-ever episodes for Alana De La Garza and Linus Roache (and their characters). Cutter (to his credit) goes after Green as he would any suspect, while Rubirosa has never been cooler as she defies Cutter (in open court) and de-rails one of the prosecution witnesses. You can almost hear her heart beating in terror, and their confrontation afterwards is the sort of solid character scene the show rarely bothers to do.

Even S. Epatha Merkerson gets lots to do. Van Buren's relationship with Green, Lupo and (new regular) Bernard is explored in several instances. The writers even manage to give Bernard lots of good solid character moments. His introduction as a potential replacement for Green is a bit heavy-handed, unfortunately, but in an episode this great that is not a major problem.

I've enjoyed these 14 episodes of Law And Order as much as any episode from the first decade of the show. While Jerry Orbach and Chris Noth will always be the quintessential detective duo on the show Green and Lupo come pretty darn close (in my book) and I've had an absolute ball watching them together this season. I wish Martin/Green was staying, to be honest.

Season 18, Episode 15. "Bogeyman" It's great to see Nicki Aycox in a good guest role, but this is a weak story. It's mostly about a crazy religious group which is very similar to a story from two weeks ago, and the killer is too much of a nut to be believed. He shoots his wife for very odd/fuzzy reasons, he throws himself out a 4th floor window to frame somebody and he is tricked - at the very end - by some very wacky logic. I bought none of it. Too early, also, to see if I am warming to Lupo's new partner.

Season 18, Episode 16. "Strike" Superb. Rubirosa takes centre stage when a judge compels her to defend a murder suspect. It's a strong case-of-the-week, the main guest star is great, but the episode belongs to Alana De La Garza.

Connie makes a great lead character. I've loved the scenes where she had conflict with Cutter (who is hopelessly in love with her) and it's a no-brainer that I would love an episode where she goes up against him in court. And runs rings around him. Even better, towards the end, she finds out that her client is very, very guilty and has to figure out how to continue her defence in good conscience.

It's great stuff. Particularly the scenes where Connie goes to Jack for advice. Great stuff from Jack McCoy in this one. In fact, all three lawyers come off as great characters in this episode.

Brad William Henke (of October Road & Dexter) is stunningly good as the murder suspect. We believe in him every step of the way. Except, it turns out that he is a very, very clever murderer. Great twist. It works because the actor is superb.

Season 18, Episode 17. "Personae Non Grata" Law And Order normally doesn't make me laugh, but this episode had me laughing out loud all the way through. Why? Partly because the events of the story are so absurd and partly because the guest stars are fantastic.

A middle-aged (and very ordinary) married man masquerades online as a tough young marine and enters into an online romance with a hot teenage babe. Who isn't... Nope! Turns out that it's just her mom. Her shallow, pathetic mom using sexy pictures of her own daughter to meet and con men online. Yes there is more to it, involving a couple of murders, but that is the core of the story this week. And it is a hoot from start to finish. I loved it.

Casting was amazing. Melissa Leo owns the episode from start to finish. She's amazing. She's always amazing. I love her work. From Homicide to Veronica Mars, I have always loved what this lady can do with a role. Her opposite number in this tale is Barry Del Sherman. He's hilarious. His character cannot grasp the reality of the situation at all. And still refuses (quite late in the story) to believe that the mother wrote the e-mails to him, not the daughter. His determination to remain deluded is fascinating, tragic and... very, very funny.

Season 18, Episode 18. "Excalibur" The show brings the eighteenth season to an ending with one of the strongest episodes ever. The case-of-the-week is good. A man murders his brother-in-law as a means towards getting back into the family business. He's also hiding a dirty little secret: he runs a prostitution ring on the side. And, in the second half of the story, this takes centre stage as Jack and the team discover that one of the clients is the governor (who has appeared on the show before as a political friend of Jack's). This is where the story heads into A+ territory, as we see Jack caught up in all sorts of political games as he tries to see justice done.

This is one of the episodes where the good guys lose. The killer pleads guilty, so that a trial is avoided, and it is implied that the governor will grant him early release after a few years. In the closing moments Jack and his team take stock of how all the witnesses are disappearing, or being taken care of, in sundry underhanded ways. It's a nice, dark, conspiracy-laden conclusion. I hope the show returns to the story of the Governor and gives Jack a chance to take him down.

House season five episode reviews

2009-06-15T17:19:00.003+01:00

Season 5, Episode 1. "Dying Changes Everything" Great opening episode. Thirteen takes the lead with the case-of-the-week and it plays wonderfully into her own life and illness. House and Wilson are on speaking terms and nobody is laying any blame for Ambers death at House's feet. Least of all House. At least that's how it starts: Wilson decides to quit and leave, so House blackmails him into stay by abandoning his own patient and leaving her to die.

Only on House!

I love the way the show was able to deliver the conflict we expected, but not in the way we expected.

Season 5, Episode 2. "Not Cancer" Nothing special. Felicia Day is wonderful as the patient and she gets some great scenes, Michael Weston makes a big impression as the private eye (who could get his own series out of this) but the episode lacks a strong hook to make it something special. The pre-credits sequence of multiple dramatic deaths is gratuitous and over-the-top. Seriously, guys, does nobody collapse while reading a book on this show?

Average episode or not, House's personal journey is great. He scorns friends and friendship, but he goes to extreme lengths to preserve his connection to Wilson. The conversations with the private eye (Lucas) are terrific, and so is his time with patient (Apple) but in other departments this one is lacking.

Season 5, Episode 3. "Adverse Events" Best episode so far this season. An absolute delight from start to finish. There's no angst this week over Wilson (thank frak!) and instead we get a fascinating case, House in hilarious form and a script with layer upon layer of meaning and double meaning and hidden meaning. A bit like any conversation between House and his new best buddy: Lucas (the private eye). Lucas is fantastic. And the best development to hit this show since last year's addition of the new regulars.

In fact the show pretty much has a whole new cast now. House has three different team-members (Thirteen, Taub and Kutner) and a brand new best friend (Lucus) who, for my money, is a much-better addition to the show than dreary old Wilson. Sorry Wilson fans, but these conversations are much more fun to watch/listen to than all of that previous stuff with Wilson being exasperated all the time. Lucas is fun. And I love the way he and House interact. I hope he stays on this show instead of being spun off into his own show.

This is a great Taub episode. We get a peek inside his private life and - for whatever reason - Taub is the only one out of all of them who seems able to stand up to House. Love seeing those moments.

Season 5, Episode 4. "Birthmarks" Another classic. The case-of-the-week is every bit as strong as the departure-from-formula element of having House and Wilson drive cross country to House's dad's funeral. Wilson??!! Yeah, this fight didn't last any longer than the others! House and Wilson are starting to remind me of Duncan and Joe on Highlander. How many times did they fight and end their friendship? Lots. So many times that it eventually came to mean nothing. Never mind, it's great to see Wilson back. But - honestly - I miss the private eye guy!

Parenting gets the House treatment this week, and the script has a few things to say about friendship, too. We get some interesting background on the House/Wilson relationship and we see not only that they are tied to one another for ever, but maybe we see why. Meanwhile, back at the hospital, all of the other character work together (for the first time?) on a case. I've never been sure that the show could use all these characters on one case at the same time but I think they have proven me wrong. It works. And the all get screentime and are fun to watch. Chase is so laid back now, it's hilarious/wonderful to watch. He's become Joe Cool from the Peanuts strip!

Best bit? House and the car keys (plus lamp).

Season 5, Episode 5. "Lucky Thirteen" When you watch House you keep hoping for things to happen that never will. You want House to show his nice side and treat someone with compassion. In this episode Thirteen (who is dying) is spiralling out of control and you keep hoping House will treat her well, reach out to her. But if he doesn't then he's not really House any more.

It's a great episode. Thirteen's downward spiral into drugs and casual sex is wonderfully realised and you keep hoping the show will offer her a light at the end of the tunnel. But if it does than it's not really House any more.

Season 5, Episode 6. "Joy" I love the dark stories on House. I love when they show people being selfish and wrong. In this episode Cuddy is told she is going to be able to adopt a child. But the mother is a horrible weak person. And she makes all her decisions for the wrong reasons. And, in the end, she takes the baby back from Cuddy. It's heart-breaking to watch. But it is great storytelling. My heart broke for Cuddy in this one. Her desire to have a child, this past few seasons, has been extremely well-realised.

The kiss at the end was great. But what is House playing at? Giving in to his true feelings for Lisa Cuddy? Or just doing this to distract her from crippling emotional heartbreak. Or doing it to distract her, but actually having feelings for her as well?

Season 5, Episode 7. "The Itch" A major change of pace.

Jennifer Morrison takes centre stage. And she's wonderful. Cameron seems more mature now. Much more of a grown woman, somehow. Like someone who could be House's equal in a relationship. Over the years, I've changed my mind a lot about House and Cameron as a couple. Sometimes I wanted them together. Other times: I couldn't see it working because she was/is just too young and fragile for someone as tough and mean as Greg House. But this episode made me rethink her. She's very tough in this one. And I like it. And I like having her in every scene. It's about time Cameron and Chase were brought back onto the show.

The case-of-the-week takes place in the patients home because he can't go out into the outside world. That's novel. And cool.

And House is genuinely lovesick over his feelings for (and kiss with) Cuddy in the previous episode. I honestly thought House was faking the whole thing to take her mind off the baby fiasco, but the final scene (of him standing on her doorstep) has me convinced.

Season 5, Episode 8. "Emancipation" House is a superb detective series. It has a lot going on, and operates on a few levels, but it is also a great detective series. This episode has two patients (two stories) and some great detective work by the doctors in charge (House and Foreman). The House-realises-what-is-going-on bit at the end is simply mesmerising. It pulls you in and delivers the goods, week after week. And this is one of the best.

Season 5, Episode 9. "Last Resort" The hostage-siege episode. With Hugh Laurie and Zeljko Ivanek in the same room (and a gun between them, too) you expect it to be a truly superb episode with great performances. Not so. It's actually a pretty weak, kinda dumb storyline. And all the acting honors go to Olivia Wilde who blows the two guys off the screen for the majority of the episode.

The patient is a jerk. And so is House. Watching them endanger everyone else in the room is pretty boring, once you realise that both of them are one-note characters in this little tale. I knew that House would eventually get the gun off the guy, and I knew that he would then give it back. It also made sense, early on, that the patient would continue to be a threat long after House did this, so that rendered most of the episode pointless.

Olivia Wilde, however, made the episode worth watching. Thirteen starts off not caring about her life and - by the end - she is pleading not to be killed. Wilde brings the character (and the audience) on a wonderful journey and is the only thing worth caring about in this mess of an episode.

Season 5, Episode 10. "Let Them Eat Cake" For the second week in a row, Olivia Wilde totally steals the episode out from her cast mates as Thirteen confronts some bitter memories from her childhood. Last week, Wilde was the best thing in the episode because pretty everything else was rubbish. That is not the case this time out. She's still the best thing about "Let Them Eat Cake" but - across the board - this is a great episode.

When, in Episode 9, House went up a crazed gunman and behaved completely in character, I was a tad bored. In this story, House is face to face with a beautiful woman offering him the chance of a proper adult relationship. He behaves totally in character (ie. he's a jerk) and it's completely riveting. Watching him screw up something this great before it gets started is completely absorbing.

Kutner and Taub have a hilarious subplot with a great twist at the end, while Taub gets some great scenes with the case-of-the-week patient. The show is great at this: bringing in patients, whose lives/decisions reflect/mirror the lives of one of the doctors. And it's one of the reasons I love this show.

But this episode belongs to Thirteen, as she remembers her mother's final days.

Season 5, Episode 11. "Joy to the World" The case-of-the-week is a bit blah. The best bits of the episode are the scenes of House in the clinic. He's trying to be nice (to win a bet) and ends up with the stupidest patient of all time. Later, he goes to extreme lengths to cover up for a girl that has cheated on her boyfriend (and gotten pregnant). Funny stuff, all of it.

Everything involving the teenager (who got pregnant and will die) is a bit... whatever.

Season 5, Episode 12. "Painless" A man is sick, House is cranky but manages to save the day, though all appears lost...

Yawn. Mediocre case-of-the-week outing. The monotony is broken somewhat by House's problems with is shower at home but that ultimately amounts to nothing and appears to have been a waste of time.

Cuddy is struggling with the baby she has fostered, but I don't care...

Season 5, Episode 13. "Big Baby" The one with Cameron in charge.

Even with the novelty factor of Cameron as the boss this is a lacklustre and boring episode. Cuddy is having a hard time bonding with her new baby. Who cares? House doesn't and neither do I. Lisa Edelstein, it must be said, looks amazing in the back half of the episode (when Cuddy shows up at the hospital in kinky boots). But, eye-candy aside, there was nothing to quicken the pulse here. The patient is a very nice person and - in the downbeat ending - we learn that the cure will make her a lot less nice. Um, didn't they do this exact story before?

Yawn.

Season 4, Episode 14. "The Greater Good" Thirteen is sick.

Not only is this a good episode, it's a bloody great episode. The stories are good (Thirteen is sick, and the patient-of-the-week is interesting) and most of the regular characters get some solid work on their characters. The House/Cuddy prank war says a lot about both of them, Wilson's past with Amber is mentioned in an insightful way, Taub's home life is highlight and the Foreman/Thirteen romance drives most of the episode. Damn, wish all the episodes were this good.

Season 5, Episode 15. "Unfaithful" Sick priest.

Not as strong as last week's episode. It's good. But many elements seem tired and one must wonder if the show is past it's prime and merely treading water to stay alive. The case-of-the-week is the strongest element: a priest with a crisis of faith who can debate with House. Good stuff. Meanwhile, House and Cuddy are doing their usual dance. This week's twist is that she wants him to come to her home for a baby-related religious ceremony and he doesn't want to attend. But does she really want him to attend at all, or is she trying out a double bluff? And does he really want to attend?

Who cares?

Not me.

House forces Foreman and Thirteen to choose between relationship and job, and it makes for a good story but the ending of the episode makes the whole enterprise seem pointless.

Except for the case-of-the-week, and a great performance from Jimmi Simpson, this is a forgettable episode.

Season 5, Episode 16. "The Softer Side" House is in a good mood.

Despite being haunted by the feeling that I've seen all of this before, I must admit that this is quite a strong episode. The case-of-the-week is good, the storylines for Thirteen and House are both very good. In fact, I was disappointed that the House storyline (he tries Methadone to ease his pain) was resolved at the end of this episode and won't appear in future episodes. Hmm. Is this the first season without a decent story arc?

Season 5, Episode 17. "The Social Contract" A patient who speaks his mind, and cannot stop.

Despite being haunted by the feeling that I've seen all of this before, I must admit that this is quite a strong episode. Unlike many patients (who fade into the background) Jay Karnes pretty much carries the episode. I love this guy. He reminds me of Kyle Secor. I love him, too. If I had a network, I'd cast them as cops who are brothers.

Or something.

Anyway. He carries the episode as the patient who says everything that comes into his mind. There are many standout scenes. He breaks his daughter's heart by telling her she is of below average intelligence, and says a lot of cruel things to his poor wife. At the end, when she comes to the hospital to collect him and they head home, you know in your heart that that little family is destroyed. And it's quite powerful stuff.

House, of course, is fascinated by this unusual patient and the script cleverly has a look at all sorts of social contracts: the white lies we all tell on a day to day basis. It's good fun, and very interesting and stimulating.

Best scene? House arranges to have the patient hit on Cuddy by talking about her amazing body. Hilarious.

Season 5, Episode 18. "Here Kitty" Judy Greer thinks a cat has predicted her death, while Taub makes a bit for freedom.

A very funny episode, with lots of dark, sad moments. In short, a superb episode of House.

Hmmm.

Maybe, I've given up on House a bit too soon. Season Five might well be the weakest season so far, but they can still deliver quality episodes. In fact, there has been a run of quality episodes.

Hmmm.

Season 5, Episode 19. "Locked In" We get to see things from a patient's point of view.

Ken Levine thinks they ripped off a MASH episode, but I was reminded of "Le scaphandre et le papillon" when I watched this above-average episode of House. Sure, at first, I found the voice-over to be gimmicky and annoying and the very last shot (which suggests that House, himself is 'locked in') was a tad OTT and obvious for my liking, but I really liked this episode.

Because of Taub.

Taub's story is great. It continues from last week and it builds on everything that the character has gone through since first appearing on the show. The ending, too, was wonderful. The script allowed Kutner to come up with all the cool answers and Taub lies to take the credit. Which House is pleased about.

And it makes perfect sense that he would be pleased.

The House/Wilson stuff was kinda tiresome. I don't care anymore about their odd dance of friendship.

And the gimmick of the Point Of View stuff was... okay. But I was glad they - mostly - dropped it during the episode.

Also very cool to see Cameron coming in to give some good ideas.

Season 5, Episode 20. "Simple Explanation" A sick and dying husband (Meat Loaf) gets better as his wife gets closer to her own death. A member of House's team dies.

The off-camera death of Gary on thirtysomething still ranks as one of the best-handled, and most shocking, TV deaths I've ever seen. This one is almost as good. Thing is: usually when one of our beloved TV characters dies, we get to see it up close and personal. We are never removed from it. But in real life, of course, we are almost never there when someone dies. We hear about it when we get the phone call. That's real life. And thirtysomething nailed it.

House isn't trying to capture real life, however, so it allowed it's main characters to be the ones who found the body and all that dramatic stuff. I have no problem with that. It's perfect for House. What really impresses me is the decision to have the death happen off-camera and out of sight. Out of the blue, too.

Very shocking. Very good storytelling.

The case-of-the-week was good, too. One of the best. The Taub scenes were all fantastic. He is now the most interesting of the regular characters, and his scenes with House are electric with tension and drama. Wonderful stuff. Cameron saves the day, this week. House is relying on her more and more and she's had a major impact on the last couple of stories. Indeed, in this strong episodes, it is the scene with Cameron offering the husband the chance to die on the table that stands out as the best scene.

Season 5, Episode 21. "Saviors" Cameron comes back to single-handedly run a case for House. Why?

It's got a good case-of-the-week and a genuinely compelling mystery, with regard to why Cameron is back. Having her back is great. Not because I'm a huge fan of the character, although I do like her a lot, but because House is the kind of show that needs to change the status quo to keep it interesting and fresh.

The resolution was satisfying.

Maybe.

It makes sense.

Unless you think about it too much.

Cameron's actions are a bit silly and TV cliché female behaviour. And there's a mystery surrounding her actions simply because she chooses not to confide in anyone. So, while I liked it, I have to say that after years and years of watching House, there is a part of me that wonders why she didn't just tell someone...

Also, this episode marks the surprise return of Anne Dudek. That made me very happy. Anne Dudek rocks. Killing her character off was a huge mistake for the show. Nice to see them bending over backwards to bring her back...

Season 5, Episode 22. "House Divided" House treats a deaf kid, while being taunted by his own sub-conscious (in the form of Amber).

For the first ten minutes of this episode I was completely distracted by the joy of having Anne Dudek back on the show. Then, once I realised she as playing a part of House sub-conscious that knew things he did not know he knew... I was completely un-distracted and knee deep in the episode.

Since it had a pretty good case-of-the-week and a real humdinger of a gimmick this ranks as one of the best ever episodes of house. That was before the final minutes, when the story took a very dark twist...

House trying to kill Chase? WTF?!

Season 5, Episode 23. "Under My Skin" A ballerina is sick, House is still seeing 'Amber'.

This story arc is great. Knowing that 'Amber' is really House's own thoughts makes for fascinating viewing and Anne Dudek is superb in the part. And crazy hot. (I have a thing for evil women. In real life. No, really. I do.)

Anyway.

The case-of-the-week is boring and pushed to b-plot status this week, as House tells Wilson, and later Cuddy, about his hallucinations. Watching him self-diagnose is fascinating. And the things 'Amber' said to him while he was crawling along the floor towards the pill were fascinating also. Why? Because we know that a part of him is thinking this stuff.

It's a great storyline and I have no idea where/how they will resolve it.

Away from House's personal problems and the case-of-the-week, Chase got some quality screentime and a strong story. Only a few scenes. But, still, a strong story.

Season 4, Episode 24. "Both Sides Now" Feeling pretty darn good about the sex he recently had with Cuddy, House tries to cure a man who has to deal with a left arm that has a mind of it's own.

A case-of-the-week that's straight from the comic books and a very predictable twist doesn't stop this one from being a very enjoyable episode. The case-of-the-week has a very touching scenes (where the arm is suddenly nice to the girlfriend) and the twist is fun to watch, fun to watch how they pull it off and explain it in the final minutes.

It's clever and it's fun. I'd be more impressed if they had done it over a few weeks. NCIS did a season-long twist that totally worked. They showed us snippets of something (Tony's relationship) and the audience filled in the rest. Incorrectly, as it turned out. House could have done that, I feel, and really pulled off something special. Instead they did it over the course of a few episodes. A few very enjoyable episodes, yes, but - surely - they could have reached a bit higher?

Cavemen episode reviews

2009-06-15T02:32:00.003+01:00

Episode 1. "Cavemen" Joel drags the guys to a BBQ hosted by his girlfriend's stern father.

It's a great idea for a show. Three cavemen, in modern times, and use their story to look at race issues. Brilliant. But, as a comedy?

Joel is our hero, and he's a likable enough guy. He's got a great girlfriend, and all he really wants to do is be accepted by her dad. Nick is the cynical one (and the only character to get any laughs) and he's sure everyone sees them as stereotypical cavemen. Jamie is the uncomplicated one.

I also really liked the hero's girlfriend's friend (Stephanie Lemelin), who was looking for something "wild" with one of the cavemen. She was cute and kinda funny.

I loved the concept of this. It's brilliant, it' clever, it works. And if the darn thing was funny, I'd be keen to watch the pilot again.

Episode 2. "Her Embarrassed Of Caveman" Joel thinks his girlfriend doesn't want her friends to know she is dating a caveman.

The most-hated show on TV finally makes it to air. The pilot I watched during the summer has been re-cast and re-thought, but it is essentially the exact same show. Which means? Everyone alive hates it. Except me, I really like it.

While the show is lacking in the laughs-department, it is still clever and likable. Using Cavemen as a metaphor for racism is a good idea. The two leads are, I think, very good. And their characters are very well crafted and interesting. The brother (now recast) is still just The Joey: dumb and funny.

Episode 3. "Nick Get Job" Nick gets a job. Nick gets fired.

There were some laugh-out-loud moments in this outing (which had our two contrasting best-friends working together in the same place) but no more than last week. How many is that? Not enough. Some of the commentary on racism was very very clever. But generated no laughs. I admire the writers for pushing their agenda up-front from the start, but they may wish they had soft-peddled it for a while and found a few more laughs in the scripts. Much as I love this show, I fear that it's days are numbered.

Episode 4. "The Cavewoman" Nick falls for Heather.

Finally! A very funny episode. Kim Director guests as Heather, a cavewoman, who (in the show's cleverest script so far) makes life hell for all three of the regulars. She dates one of them, flirts with another one and bullies the third repeatedly about calling a friend of hers for a date. It's impossible to decide which of the stories is the funniest. But, I think, poor Joel's mumbled attempts to explain things to his girlfriend is the episode highlight: "It's not a problem that I'm dating you, it's just a problem for dating Heather. [pause] No. Okay. That's not what I meant either." Closely followed by Andy telling Heather "I'm a gay man. I enjoy the gay lifestyle." to get her to leave him alone.

Episode 5. "Mascot" Nick takes a job as a substitute teacher.

This show has turned a corner and is now very funny. It's becoming obvious to me that the character of Nick (played by Nick Kroll) is a goldmine of comedy. His worldview is very extreme, so the writers can drop him into any given situation and watch what happens. This week, he - inadvertently - beats up a teenage girl (while hundreds of other teenagers watch in horror). But, he later consoles himself with the knowledge that it was only "hundreds". This, of course, is before it shows up on a YouTube equivalent.

Episode 6. "The Shaver" Joel has a new friend, who might be a caveman who has shaved...

Oh, dear. A major backward slide with the least funny episode so far. Nick was annoying and Joel was boring in this one. Andy's story, however, got some laughs thanks to the incredibly hot Stephanie Lemelin. Andy, she discovers, has quite a lot of road rage and it gets her in the mood very fast whenever he cuts loose. Andy, of course, is oblivious to this. Lots of laughs to be had, leading to my favourite line in the episode: "Why don't we wait out all this traffic? Pull into one of these cheap motels!"

Episode 7. "Rock Vote" Election time.

My favourite shows have always been the ones with something important to say. As a kid, I loved shows like Lou Grant and Quincy for that reason. Today, while I'm just as impressed by the coolness of Jack Bauer and Starbuck as everyone else, I take a lot of enjoyment from the ability of shows to reflect the world we live in today. Some shows, not all shows.

I responded quickly to Cavemen because I recognised a project that had something to say about race relations (and, even better, had found a very novel way of doing it). Episode 7, which proves there is a lot more to this formula than race relations, is all about Andy (a brilliant Sam Huntington). He's clueless about voting, so Joel and Nick take it upon themselves to educate him. Along the way they meet two candidates (one slick, one nuts), their apartment is robbed, and gun-toting Thorne (Stephanie Lemelin, who gets funnier every week) introduces Andy to the joys of bearing arms.

While early scripts were thoughtful, but lacking in laughs, the show has now managed to strike a successful balance. Script and delivery combine here to give laugh after laugh in every scene. It's one of the best shows on television, and I'm proud to be a fan.

Episode 8. "Nick Work, Andy Jerk" Joel moves out.

Nick Kroll is usually the best thing about this show, and he's very good in this episode, but the most laughs come from Sam Huntington as Andy gets a really strong storyline. He's gotten himself a job, knee-deep in corporate America, and he doesn't quite fit in. Andy (being Andy) runs around trying to make friends with everyone. Which leads to meetings on "personal space" and so forth. Very funny and (as is often the case with this show) very insightful. Meanwhile, back on the homefront, Joel and Nick have a fight over Kate and Nick's treatment of her. Eventually Joel moves out and Nick becomes a total slob. While it covers ground familiar to anyone who has ever seen a sit-com before it must be said that - to the show's considerable credit - it manages to raise several good laughs. All in all, with it's dead-on social commentary and successful jokes, this is one of the very strongest episodes.

Episode 9. "Nick Sick" Joel gets dumped.

Nick gets sick and think he is dying. Meanwhile, Kate decided to dump Joel (for no apparent reason) and move on. She neglects to tell him this, of course, and he spends the episode chasing her to find out what is going on. It's a funny episode. Nick Kroll gets all the best lines/moments but Sam Huntington and Bill English are pretty close behind him. At this stage in the production, all three actors have a total handle on their characters and are able to get laughs by just reacting to stuff. Nick has no insurance, so he pretends to be Joel for a while. Stephanie Lemelin (who is incredibly hot) gets lots of good screen time in this one (which is incredibly wonderful). Her adorable character, Thorne, is nice to Joel through out the whole break-up mess, even advising him to buy socks as a gift in one (hilarious) scene. One of the better episodes.

Episode 10. "Andy Stand-Up" Andy does comedy.

It's a bit too preachy (which can get embarrassing) but this is still one of the very best episodes. In this one, Joel is trying to bounce back from his break-up with Kate. When he hears that she hated his clothes he gives his wardrobe a total overhaul, and the entire plot thread yields many laughs. It's a good storyline. It captures truth: The moment after a relationship has ended when you still bump into your ex a lot and try to give yourself a total make-over so they will take you back. Highlight? Kate's mom talking about Joel's clothes.

But Andy gets most of the scenes in the episode. This is good for two reasons: Andy is coming close to overtaking Nick as my favourite character in the show, and his girlfriend (Stephanie Lemelin) is both hot and adorable. In equal measure. Not an easy one to pull off. I know. I do it every day :)

Andy takes a stab at stand-up comedy. It's a wild ride. He sucks, gets great, becomes a huge hit, learns a lesson about racial stereotypes and goes back to sucking again.

When it gets preachy (on race issues) this episode veers into the territory of embarrassment but when it stays funny, it is very, very funny.

Episode 11. "Cave Kid" The guys compete to mentor a cave kid.

The first episode with the perfect balance between comedy and preaching. Nick's desire to expose the child to his cultural heritage makes perfect sense, really, and much of what happens between them very funny. Joel, meanwhile, wants to use the kid to get close a beautiful co-worker (Virginia Williams, who is stunning) and competition between him and Nick is hilarious.

Episode 12. "Hunters And Gatherers" Nick competes with Maurice for the attentions of Heather.

Very funny. Nick and Joel both get storylines and both are funny. Race issues are not used to fuel the comedy (for once) and - instead - it's a tale about gender roles and different types of men.

Episode 13. "Caveman Holiday" Another of those episodes with a pretty good idea but not enough jokes to make it work. Early episodes were like this, then the show overcame it and managed to turn out a succession of very funny installments. This is not one of those.

It is the Caveman holiday of Long Night. Basically, it's Christmas. All Cavemen gather and celebrate the traditions that came from the time when they survived the Ice Age. Andy (the innocent one) is over-eager, Nick (the cynical one) is happy to sit back and make fun of it all, while Joel (the mature one) is trying to put it all behind him and act like this is just any other day. He goes to work as normal. And then... guess what? Towards the end of the story he has a glorious epiphany and rushes home to join in the festivities. Yuck. The episode is trying hard to be a send-up of Christmas episodes but there aren't enough jokes to make it work and it ends up being an example of a bad Christmas episode.

yaTVRp_s04e36

2009-06-15T00:02:00.002+01:00

Scrubs, Royal Pains, People Like Us, NewsRadio, Entourage, Burn Notice

MP3 File

Burn Notice season two episode reviews

2009-06-14T03:24:00.004+01:00

Season 2, Episode 1. "Breaking and Entering" It's been a long wait, but the wait has been worth it. This opening episode is a whole lot of fun. Yes, I feel cheated that Michael's "big exit" from last season amounts to nothing and he's back in town almost immediately. It has an air of "so what was all that about" after the big thrill of seeing him drive up into that truck last year.

Never mind. Michael is back in town, he has an interesting client and (most important) his team are by his side. Michael's cool, yes, but the show is the show it is because of the team he has beside him. I love Sam to bits (well, it's Bruce Campbell for frak sake!) and the relationship with Fiona is one of the very best romances on TV right now. How sad was that ending? She walks away and he admits (to us, if not to her) that he likes her...

Season 2, Episode 2. "Turn and Burn" The formula is well in place for this episode: interesting case with a twist, advancement in the ongoing storyline, Michael doing his undercover bit, explosions, Fiona being gorgeous, well-written scenes between Michael and his mother. Flawless fun, really.

Season 2, Episode 3. "Trust Me" Business as usual, again. For the first time this season, Michael is seen helping an ordinary person: a dumb guy who got conned, while trying to help his mother (the always wonderful Cindy Pickett). Michael's mum has some nice scenes with Fiona this week, a nice way for the writers to keep the Michael/Fi romance alive without actually giving them any romantic scenes together.

Season 2, Episode 4. "Comrades" Nothing special, but still very good. Michael's brother is back on the team in this one, and Sam (Bruce Campbell) pretty much takes the lead in both cases. Little touches like this keep the formula fresh. Good guest work, too, from Lost's Andrew Divoff.

Season 2, Episode 5. "Scatter Point" Another winner. Michael joins a gang of thieves planning a heist when one of them contacts him wanting to get out of the business. Michael comes to the rescue. Not for the man himself, but for his son. Michael's cool.

So is Sam and this is the episode where his long-time girlfriend (the gorgeous Audrey Landers) asks him to marry her. It's a delightful scene, and so is the aftermath. We get a lot of great Sam/Fiona scenes. The ones where she watches with glee while Sam is being beaten up is hilarious. Sam is trying to get seen by the police and get his attacker arrested. But they are looking the other way and Fiona takes forever to join in with a helpful scream. Very, very funny.

So... Michael being cool and the other two being funny? All's right with Burn Notice.

Season 2, Episode 6. "Bad Blood" An unrecognisable, but brilliant, Michael Shanks dominates this episode as the new recurring bad guy who shows up to blackmail Michael into doing some bad things for the bad people who are responsible for Michael's burn notice. All of this badness is actually very good. Especially Shanks.

The case-of-the-week is fairly ordinary. Rob Benedict is mis-cast as a greedy bad guy but the twists are still fairly fun to watch. It's fun to watch Michael putting his plans into action. It's even more fun to watch him adapt his plans when things go very wrong.

Season 2, Episode 7. "Rough Seas" Everybody's favourite reluctant hero is called in when some medicine (destined for sick kids, of course) is stolen. Never has the show more closely resembled it's forefathers (A-Team, Equalizer, etc.) than in a story like this. There are sick kids in it, for frak sake! And the bad guys have stolen their medicine! How can you not root for Michael and the team.

As usual, it's clever and funny. Michael even gets to be a little jealous of Fiona's mysterious date and Sharon Gless (normally underused) gets several great scenes. Funny lady.

Season 2, Episode 8. "Double Booked" Burn Notice breaks from formula and delivers one of it's most enjoyable episodes.

A hit-man calls Michael and offers him a hit! So, rather than having a client from the start, Michael is 'working for' the bad guy. So he has to find a way to save the target, without tipping off the hit-man (Tim Matheson, who also directed the episode).

Season 2, Episode 9. "Good Soldier" The case-of-the-week is a delight. Michael joins a gang planning a kidnapping and tries to derail the plot by being an uncooperative religious fanatic. The ending (when he rams the kidnapper's car from out of nowhere) is superb. And hilarious (as he spouts off a spiel of made-up religious-sounding guff to fool them).

Meanwhile, over in the continuing story arc, things get very confusing. Carla's plot increasingly makes no sense and it seems that (a) she knows every move that Michael is about to make, and (b) she wants everyone dead. Including Michael. We fade to black after a booby trap goes on at Michael's front door, and an explosion sends him flying...

Season 2, Episode 10. "Do No Harm" A scam artist (Stacy Haiduk) steals from the father of a sick child.

I love this show because Michael is such an old fashioned TV hero. As this story opens (picking up from the cliff-hanger that ended the previous episode) Michael is on the run and in danger for his life, but he takes time to stop a suicide in progress and take on 'a case'. A case involving a sick child. Sure, he's on the run for his life, but Michael won't walk away from someone in trouble. Particularly a sick child. And that's why he's cool. He's the modern successor to Magnum, pi, Spenser, The Equalizer and all the great TV heroes of bygone days/nights.

The story that follows is good. It doesn't follow the usual Burn Notice pattern. In fact, things don't fall into place for much of it and it looks as if this is one time that Michael won't be able to get the job done (towards the end he looks set to go to his enemy Carla to get the money needed).

A cool hero (who cares about the problems of ordinary people) and an exciting story: Burn Notice is back.

Season 2, Episode 11. "Hot Spot" Michael, Fiona and Sam try to run a gang of car thieves out of Miami.

I can't think of a show that is more fun to watch than Burn Notice. It's cool and I love it. This episode set some sort of ratings record by beating NBC and I could not be happier. Anyone who sampled the show last Thursday is definitely going to come back for more. It's a slick show, driven by great characters and - right now - there isn't a show on TV that is more fun to watch. You cannot have more fun in front of a TV.

Case in point: Michael, Fiona and Sam dress up as the coolest-looking gang of car thieves ever to grace a TV screen and proceed to unleash a barrage of bizarre stunts on the members of a rival gang in a effort to run out of town (to save the client-of-the-week). Scene after scene is delightful, as is the 'sting' at the very end when they finally provoke the gang into (what appears to be) an attack upon a much more powerful gangster. This is one of my favourite elements of Burn Notice: when Michael is able to make the Bad-Guy-of-the-week do something stupid that makes an even worse Bad Guy (who knows nothing about Michael) mad at them. In this way, Michael is able to walk away and let somebody else finish the job. Often it is implied that the bad-guy-of-the-week will be killed by their new enemy. Michael's hands are clean, the case is solved and the client-of-the-week is saved.

If all this episode had going for it was a fun case-of-the-week it would still be a great hour of TV. But this episode had a lot more: ongoing developments with Carla and ongoing developments with Michael & Fiona...

Carla is the recurring bad guy, with ties to the people that burned Michael in the show's pilot. She's had cameos in a few episodes so far this season, but she takes a larger part in this episode and - at this point in the story - she seems less in control of events that she previously was. It's apparent at this stage that other forces are at work... and Carla is scared. Showing this side to Michael (and to the viewers) makes her seems less scary, more vulnerable, more interesting...

Then there is the stuff with Fiona...

The final minutes of this episode are among the very best that the show has ever done.

About five minutes from the end of this episode, Fiona stumbles into a trap and when Michael arrives at the scene he panics and assumes that Fiona has been killed in a house fire. Distraught, he returns home to find... Fiona waiting on him: not thinking he knew anything about the fire and totally shocked to find Michael so upset.

The ongoing love story here: we all know Michael loves Fiona but he's not very good at expressing it, so they never make a go at having a relationship. Except now, overcome with emotion, he - for once - can't hold back, he can't repress his feelings: he takes her in his arms for one of the most romantic love scenes I've ever seen on TV.

I not only love the fact that happened, but I love the way that it happened. But in terms of how it happened for the characters, and in terms of how it happened in the closing minutes of Episode 11 when we had no reason to expect it. It really took me by surprise. And it was very romantic.

Gabrielle Anwar is very sexy as Fiona, but she's more than sexy. Because of Anwar Fiona is utterly lovely and her unrequited love for Michael makes her vulnerable and much more likable. Thanks to Jeffrey Donovan we can see that Michael adores Fiona but we can also believe that he cannot bring himself to express it. Until now. I'm not sure what direction their story will take from here on in, but I cannot wait to see the next chapter...

Season 2, Episode 12. "Seek and Destroy" Michael goes up against a nasty arms dealer.

Such a clever episode from this wonderful, fun show. Most episodes stick to a rigid formula: Michael meets his client, Michael poses as somebody and meets the bad guy, Michael runs a scam on the bad guy and wins. End of episode. This episode cleverly, and easily, flips the middle part and puts it first. Michael needs money so he poses as a security expert and gets himself a job. By the middle part of the episode he's found out what is really going on and meets his real client for the first time. From then on it is business as usual, until the happy conclusion.

It's a great, fun show and I very much admire the way they cleverly flip things around in the formula to give us a 'fresh' type of episode.

Also, there's some nice continuity with Michael and Fiona after the romance last week...

Season 2, Episode 13. "Bad Breaks" Michael gets taken hostage during a bank robbery.

Superb change-of-pace episode. It is nothing like a typical episode of the show, but it still manages to bring all the stuff to the table that Burn Notice manages to do. Even though he's just a hostage, Michael still manages to set up several tricks and cons. The ending (where Sam phones up the lead bad guy and fools him into thinking he has stumbled into the middle of something much bigger than himself) is extremely clever and satisfying.

Alex Carter, Rodney Rowland and Mark Sheppard are superb in their guest roles.

Season 2, Episode 14. "Truth and Reconciliation" Michael must prove that James Black is a bad guy and get him deported back to Haiti.

Average. It's still enjoyable, but there's nothing special about this one. Yet another client trying to avenge the death of a loved one. Michael's elaborate plan... doesn't work. So, in the closing minutes, the team just kidnap the guy and ship him back to Haiti themselves. Cool, but makes you wonder why they didn't just try that in the first place...

Season 2, Episode 15. "Sins of Omission" Michael's ex-fiancée shows up needing help. Michael's ex-fiancée!?!?!

Let's just run down the cast of this episode: You have Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Sharon Gless and Bruce Campbell in the regular cast, you have Michael Shanks and Tricia Helfer as semi-regulars, and the episode throws in Dina Meyer and Jay Karnes as guest stars.

Frak!

I've been a huge Donovan fan since his turn as The Pretender's brother, Anwar was one of the best things about Press Gang, I've had a crush on Sharon Gless since her time on Switch (how I love that show!) and Bruce Campbell is awesome beyond belief. Don't believe me, then check out Brisco County, Jr. Shanks and Helfer were standout, scene-stealing cast members on ensemble shows. I've adored Meyer since her time on Beverly Hills, 90210 and the opening episodes of Michael Hayes. Not to mention that she is responsible for one of the best sex scenes ever filmed for mainstream cinema. Then there's Jay Karnes who almost stole The Shield out from under Michael Chiklis (if such a thing were possible).

And here they all are, appearing in the same episode of Burn Notice.

Who stole the show?

Jay Karnes blew everyone else off the screen as - quite simply - the smartest bad guy Michael has ever faced and - it must be said - one of the smarted bad guys any action show has ever delivered. The battle of wits between him and Michael really felt like a game of chess, and I hope we see this guy again. And again.

In other news: it was a great story, with lots of superb character moments. Michael's scenes with his ex-fiancée, his mother and Fiona (especially that lovely final scene with Fiona) were superb character sketches.

Season 2, Episode 16. "Lesser Evil" Michael teams with Victor and goes after Carla. Who comes after them, with all guns blazing.

A full hour of action. Car chases, explosions, gun battles, etc. Recurring bad guy Victor is given a backstory/origin and Michael opts to trust him, just as Carla's people arrive and chase them all over Miami.

Action highlights? The hand-to-hand combat between Michael and Victor was cool, the escape from the parking garage was clever and exciting, the street of exploding cars was stunning (I'm so in love with Fiona right now) and the shoot-out at the boat was a fitting conclusion.

But, all told, this was an action-packed episode from start to finish. Amid the action we got many superb character-driven moments for Michael, Sam and Michael's mother. Even Victor got his character fleshed out in this, his final episode.

Carla met her demise in this episode. It was, I felt, a bit too low-key. It was satisfying to see her brought down by a sniper shot from Fiona (I'm so in love with Fiona right now) but it was over a bit too soon. Shouldn't we get to see Carla suffer a bit, register her defeat for a while before the kill shot?

Anyway, that's a minor complaint. Loved the episode. Great season finale.

Supernatural season three episode reviews

2009-06-10T04:47:00.005+01:00

Season 3, Episode 1. "The Magnificent Seven" This show works best when it is about two guys on their own. Yet, somehow, the addition of Jim Beaver/Bobby doesn't harm the show at all. I credit the actor with this. He's just a cool guy. And he makes a great third team member.

This is a solid season opener. Long on action. The brawl/fight/attack at the bar was beyond awesome. The stuff with the couple trapped inside was some of the best that the show has ever done, and the fight/rescue that followed immediately was - likewise - an example of the show at it's very best.

Interesting to watch the boys adjust to the latest development in their lives. Sam being passive and letting Dean away with everything. Dean being a big kid and preparing to party like crazy for the year that's to follow. Plus repeatedly mentioning the sacrifice he's made. Good stuff. Can't wait to see where this all leads.

Season 3, Episode 2. "The Kids Are Alright" Wow. Where do I begin? What do I write about first? I loved everything in this episode.

The guest stars. Cindy Sampson is the most beautiful guest star the show has ever had (together with Taylor Cole). I was smitten with her when she appeared in Reaper last season (and I hope she returns). Kathleen Munroe carries most of the episode alone and she is terrific. Her best scene is the one where she drowns her child. Haunting stuff.

The story. This was almost like an episode of "The Twilight Zone" or "The Hitchhiker". Most of it was devoted to Katie and her mum alone in their house. And the brothers, when they did appear, were split up. So, in all respects, it didn't feel like an episode of Supernatural. And, again, let me say: that stuff with the mother driving her child into the water... haunting stuff.

Mini-Dean. How great was all that stuff? The kid was terrific and the idea that Dean would have a son that was exactly like him is totally inspired. I wish the child had turned out to be his. It would be great for the character to have to learn to adapt to being a father. The child could appear every few episodes and it would give Dean insight into his father's point of view and - even better - it would give the series a nice end-point for the future. Dean would have some place to go, somewhere to call home if he ever stopped hunting. I found myself wishing at the very end of the episode that Lisa was lying to Dean to protect all of them. I kept watching closely to see if their was any hint of this, but I saw none. Darn. I want to see her and the kid again. Particularly her.

It was scary. Right from the opening death (the guy with the motorised saw) this was a scary episode. Creepy kids are... creepy. And these creepy kids were extremely well cast. Margot Berner was superb. If she popped up beside me, and spoke in that monotone, I'd scream too.

The blonde chick is a demon! Wow. I never saw that coming. And it really opens up the show's backstory and storylines once again. Clever, clever stuff. Just when I thought they had moved on from Sam's background they drag me back in. I love it. Katie Cassidy doesn't strike me as very tough, though. More like a girl who is pretending to be tough. Not sure that that is what the producers were going for with the character.

Cindy Sampson, the story, mini-Dean, the scare-factor and the shocks and twists. I loved everything in this episode.

Season 3, Episode 3. "Bad Day at Black Rock" 'I'm Batman' declares Dean at one stage in this delightful episode, the latest in a long line of very, very funny SN episodes.

The boys cross paths with a cursed object. One that grants the owner fantastic good luck. Until he gives it away... At that point, his luck turns bad. So bad that, eventually, it kills him. Sam has the object for a brief moment and it is stolen, meaning that his life is in danger. Dean chases the thief, while Sam waits in a motel room to stop him from falling over things, etc.

Lauren Cohan is the latest in a long line of very beautiful female guest stars. Her scenes with Dean are hilarious.

Sterling K. Brown returns to cause problems (from prison) and he's enlisted the fantastic Michael Massee to do his bidding. Great development.

With the boys dealing with a cursed object, for once, this one reminds me of the great Friday The 13th TV series. There is even what appears to be a shoutout to the show at one point, when the boys name the date on which the cursed object was created. Nice.

Season 3, Episode 4. "Sin City" Sasha Barrese is yet another beautiful-beyond-belief guest star, the story is more low key than usual and it's fascinating to see the reversal that's happened between the brothers (Dean mellowed, Sam bloodthirsty), but... this is one of the weakest episodes in a while.

Sasha Barrese is off-the-chart sexy as she taunts Dean in their prison, and the story being told this week is not the usual SN fare. This time out we have every reason to believe that the bad people in the town are just that: bad people, giving in to temptation that has (skillfully) been put in their path. It should be more fascinating and dark than it ultimately is.

Good bits, here and there, but it's all a bit 'Blah' overall.

Season 3, Episode 5. "Bedtime Stories" This is goofy story. You really have to take a leap of faith to accept this one. But I love stories like this. She-Wolf Of London did an episode somewhat like this, and Kolchak's later episodes were "out there" too. On stories like this, I really admire the creativity of the writers.

The spirit of a woman in a coma since she was a child is killing people by making them act out horrible bedtime stories. It's a total 'what the frak?' episode, but I really enjoyed it. I don't think it will ever make anyone's top ten list, including mine, but it's fun while it lasts.

The closing minutes are like something from a different episode. But they fit because the opening minutes tell us that is exactly what is going to happen. Clever.

Sam goes up against the demon that did the deal with Dean. And, in a very cold blooded way, he kills her.

Hmm...

Season 3, Episode 6. "Red Sky at Morning" A very weak episode that finds the boys going up against the ghost of a vengeful sailor. It's another one of those goofy story ideas, in which future victims see a huge ghostly sailing ship hours before they die, but that is not why it fails to entertain. It's a dud because Bela sucks and none of the comedy works.

Bela is an unsympathetic and boring character. I liked her first episode, but this time out she adds nothing to the story. She has no chemistry with Dean (although the story is written as if she does) and she manages to outwit the boys, even though it is blatantly obvious to the viewer that she will steal the cursed object (a hand) as soon as she can. The fact that she succeeds in doing this makes the heroes of the show look like idiots. How could they trust her? Seriously?

The episode tries to be funny on several occasions. The lack of chemistry between Dean and Bela ruins a few of these scenes (particularly the chewing-gum-in-a-tuxedo scene, which would have been very funny with Sam as Dean's partner instead) while pointless repetition ruins the rest of them. A older lady has a crush on Sam and keeps making advances on him, to his considerable discomfort. It is mildly amusing the first time, but after the show returns to play out the exact same scene several times the idea wears very thin. Oh look, it's that old lady again. And she's still putting the moves on Sammy! And he's still uncomfortable. Yawnsville.

On the plus side, the climax (ghost against ghost) is clever and looks good on screen. But I must confess that I don't really know what happened. Which ghost destroyed which ghost?

Season 3, Episode 7. "Fresh Blood" Stronger than recent episodes. Gordon Walker is out of prison and out to get Sam... dead. A vampire called Dixon enters the picture and - before long - Gordon has become a creature of the night. He's not lost his sense of self, however, and he determines to end his own life... after he kills Sam. So the stage is set for a show-down between the Winchesters and a super-powered Gordon Walker.

It's a bloody episode. Lots of graphic deaths in this one. Heads being ripped off, and such. There's some nice character work on the brothers (the Dean-decides-not-to-leave-the-motel scene and the fixing-the-car scene at the very end) but the climax is a cheat. Walker has them totally beaten. In particular there is nothing to stop him from killing Sam. Then he goes and blows it all by sending the two of the flying through a wall and out into the open where Sam can get the upper hand.

Sloppy writing, with regard to the climax, but this is a better episode than many recent ones.

Season 3, Episode 8. "A Very Supernatural Christmas" Another goofy story, but good character writing makes for a very good episode.

Dean and Sam go up against what appears to be a killer Santa, and it prompts Sam to think back to Christmas Eve, 1991, when the two boys were alone and he first found out that monsters were real.

The flashback scenes, and all the non-plot related scenes, between the brothers are wonderful. Ridge Canipe and Colin Ford are superb as the young Winchesters, all along in a bare location. It's a bleak image, yet - thanks to the way the brothers interact - it's a very heartwarming one.

The final scene, Dead and Sam celebrate Christmas in 2007 (in another bare motel room), is one of the most Christmassy things I've ever seen on TV. There's not false or silly about any of it. There's an abundance of love and family goodwill in that small room, as we watch these two young men swap small gifts, make chit-chat and watch football.

It feels real because lots of Christmases are just like that: small affairs shared by people who love each other very much.

Season 3, Episode 9. "Malleus Maleficarum" A strong story, a great finale, a bevy of beautiful women and solid character work on a new regular. One of the best SN episodes so far this season.

A coven of 'old school' witches have been using magic to affect their good luck, but one of them takes it too far and kills a romantic rival. Dean and Sam arrive after this death and are soon on the track of the witches. Things fall into place quickly which makes the boys look like impressive heroes. Right from the start it's a strong, very interesting, story but it has a great twist at the mid-way point which makes it even better.

The climax has Dean and Sam totally defeated and helpless. Erin Cahill does some great work as the last remaining witch, as she comes to terms with the nightmare around her and tries (in her dying moments) to do some good. She fails. But I enjoyed her tragic story from start to finish.

Cahill is one of several very beautiful women in this episode. SN always likes to have one babe in the midst of things, but they really went to town in this episode.

When all appears lost, it is Ruby who comes to the rescue. Not only does she save the boys, but we get to hear her backstory and it's rather cool. Not only that, but it tells us a bit more about the mythos of the whole series. Her actions scenes are cool, and her final scene with Dean is wonderful. It took a while, but I really like Ruby now. Katie Cassidy gives her best performance also. I'm starting to believe that she's tough. (On a side note, I've just seen pictures of her as a brunette and she's much hotter. Why can't Ruby be dark haired? Sigh.)

Season 3, Episode 10. "Dream a Little Dream of Me" The boys face a bad guy who can enter/control dreams.

Placing Bobby Singer in danger is clever. He's a minor, but very important/likable, supporting character. Is the show going to kill him off? You never know...

It's also cool to see a foe who can manipulate dreams. It gives the episode a 'special' feel and it gives the writers a nice way to reveal character stuff. Cindy Sampson makes a brief/wonderful cameo and when it is all over Dean finally confesses/realises that he doesn't want to die. A major moment for the character and the season-long story arc. Good stuff.

Season 3, Episode 11. "Mystery Spot" Sam is caught in a time loop, reliving the day of Dean's death over and over and over.

One of the show's great strengths is it's ability to tell the type of stories that you would expect it to be able to do. Case in point: the Groundhog Day story that crops up on every long-running genre show at some point. To their considerable credit the writers find a logical way to include this tale in the Supernatural canon.

So is it any good? Well, it does have several funny moments (especially the death-of-Dean montage in the middle) but it's tends to be more tiresome than cool after it goes on a while. The last third is interesting (Sam goes on living without Dean and becomes even more of a hard-nosed killer than he has become of late) but it's fails to really excite the viewer because we know that it's just another part of the fantasy, another illusion. And we just want it to be over, so Sam can solve this and reunite with his brother.

There are a few good laughs, and we get to see that Sam can survive without Dean, but there's little else to recommend this change-of-pace episode.

Season 3, Episode 12. "Jus In Bello" Henrikson captures the boys, but they are all trapped by a horde of demons.

Supernatural does Assault On Precinct 13. And, wow, do they ever do a great job! Not only is the episode superb from start to finish but the ending, where everybody dies, has got to be the best ending the show has ever had on an episode.

Season 3, Episode 13. "Ghostfacers" An episode made to look like an episode of a reality show about ghosts.

Awful.

Where do I begin? First off, I was shocked and disappointed that the producers had opted to bring back Ed and Harry from "Hell House" a weak season one story. I felt then, and feel now, that these characters do not belong in the world of Supernatural. They are silly and inept. They shouldn't be part of the SN mythology. Bringing them back (and giving them a team to back them up) is seriously wrong.

Secondly, the idea that we were watching a pilot for a new TV show was ridiculous. It made no sense that these guys would have 14,000 cameras set up everywhere in the house. So, every time we moved to a new shot I was taken completely out of the story. I was constantly trying to figure why there was a camera able to capture what I was seeing. So, it was a novel way of telling the story, yes, but it was intrusive and it ruined the story for me.

Third, I was unhappy with the death of a main character and the fact that this was supposedly something I was watching as part of a TV show (or, to be more correct, a pilot for a TV show). That just left a bad taste in my mouth. The montage/tribute at the end was also ill-conceived. It made me hate the Ed and Harry characters even more than I already did.

Fourth, I hated the episodes attempts at humour. All of them were guff. Back in Season One, SN was a very serious show and I found the antics of these idiot characters to be jarring with the tone of the show. Since then, SN has evolved a lot. There is a lot of comedy in the show now. And all of it is character comedy. And it - mostly - makes you laugh out loud. That is not the case here. This is not character comedy. This is all aren't-these-guys-annoying comedy. And it sucks.

Finally, I feel cheated. I feel as if I have missed an episode of Supernatural. The narrative device (of making me think I was watching a TV show) created a distance between myself and Sam and Dean that I wasn't happy with. I feel like I wasn't 'with them' on this one. In fact, they were more like 'guest stars' in this one than main stars. And I hated it. I tune in to be with Sam and Dean on their adventures. I don't tune in to see this kind of crap.

Season 3, Episode 14. "Long-Distance Call" Everyone on town is getting a phone call from a loved one who died...

Much better than last week. This looks and feels like Supernatural. And as case-of-the-week episodes go, it's a pretty good one. Nothing spectacular, but it's a solid bad guy and the brothers have some conflict, too.

Season 3, Episode 15. "Time Is On My Side" Billy Drago guests as killer who has found eternal life.

Pretty good case-of-the-week is made even better by tying it into two ongoing story arcs. Clever.

This would appear to be the end of the Bela storyline. I'm not bothered. She started off okay, but - by her second episode - became boring and unsympathetic. I'm not sure about the flashbacks. She certainly had a sad past. Are we meant to feel sorry for her? I didn't. She had her parents killed and she was willing to kill Sam and Dean.

Highlight? Guest turns from Billy Drago and Steven Williams.

Season 3, Episode 16. "No Rest for the Wicked" Dean is ripped apart by hell hounds and dragged off to Hell.

While Season 2 was the best season so far, Season 3 had a much better story arc and the writers did more with it on a week to week basis. Using it as a means to do great things with the regular characters and their relationship.

Even if this wasn't the end of the season and the end of the story arc, it's an episode with a superb case-of-the-week (creepy little girl holds her family hostage). But, in an episode this good, the little girl story fades into the background somewhat.

Best bit? In an episode full of strong scenes, the final shot of Dean trapped and suffering stands out.

Royal Pains pilot review

2009-06-10T04:10:00.003+01:00

Royal Pains

doctor-on-call to the rich/crazy/spoiled

Type of Pilot: Medical Comedy/Drama

Similar Shows: Burn Notice (guy kicked out of his line of business, uses his special skills to help people anyway), MacGyver (hero uses odd things to save lives),

The Inner Light: What if Burn Notice was a medical show?

Strengths: Fast pace, a great sense of fun, good casting, beautiful women, funny lines, great soundtrack,

Weaknesses: It's silly.

Impressive Characters: Hank's a likeable lead character. He's a good guy, but he's crushed when his life takes a bad turn. He's lost and directionless and he resists when life throws a strange opportunity in his path. His brother is hilarious. They are a perfect match (and a classic TV pairing like hundreds before them). I liked the hospital administrator lady. I liked her because the show writes her as a nice person, who cares about her patients. And I liked her because the show avoided writing her as an antagonistic character, as a means towards creating false romantic tension. Instead, she goes after Hank. It's refreshing and sweet to see this on TV.

Impressive Actors: Mark Feuerstein and Paulo Costanzo. I'm a fan of both from previous projects and their chemistry here is sizzling. Brothers and bickering best friends, I very much want to spend my summer watching them get into (and out of) various scrapes.

Less-Than-Impressive Characters: Divya is the weakest character in the pilot. Even in a pilot of crazy, silly coincidences I can't buy the arrival of a willing Assistant with a van full of medical equipment. Yes, I can buy the idea of the benevolent billionaire providing a 'home' for them to live in, but I can't take enough of a leap to accept Divya. Yet.

Less-Than-Impressive Actors: Great casting in terms of regulars and guests.

Continuity: I presume this will follow the Burn Notice model, and be a case-of-the-week driven show, with occasional ongoing elements. I presume Pascale Hutton, Ezra Miller and Tamara Feldman will be back since all three of those characters have a lot more story in them.

Rewatchability: Pretty good. I would watch this pilot again. It's a fun pilot. The music is great and it moves fast. It made me laugh, and I love the lead characters. Yeah, I would watch this again.

Other Info: Critics like this one: Check out MetaCritic.

Three Things I Really Like About This Pilot:

Paulo Costanzo.

The sense of fun.

The music.

One Thing I Really Don't Like About This Pilot:

Divya

Miscellaneous Comments:

I had a ball watching this. The hero is heroic and likable. A nice guy, and - since they have given him MacGyver-like powers - he's cool. The brother is hilarious and - by being there - he makes the hero even more likeable and interesting. It's set up a nice, sweet romance and dropped the lead in a very interesting world.

GRADE: A

Nurse Jackie pilot review

2009-06-08T14:44:00.006+01:00

Nurse Jackie

day in the life of a nurse

Type of Pilot: Medical Drama

Similar Shows: St. Elsewhere

The Inner Light: Small victories in a crap day.

Strengths: Edie Falco. She's really good. Really likeable (much more than the character is). She is the show, and the show is her. Like her and you'll probably like the show. Also: Paul Schulze. He only has a couple of scenes but he makes a strong impact. I like the guy. He was on 24 and Journeyman.

Weaknesses: It's not the first grim and gritty medical drama and - except for Edie Falco I'm not sure why I'd care about this one. If you aim for the same territory as St. Elsewhere you are aiming pretty darn high, so you'd better have the goods to back it up.

Impressive Characters: Jackie Peyton herself is the only really interesting character. And the pilot is really a character portrait of her. We watch her get through a day. Cope with patients dying due to inept doctors, cope with her own weaknesses, cope with grieving family members and find ways to do some good (mostly by bending the rules). She's basically a good person, I think, but seriously flawed which is what makes her interesting and worthy of a TV series to follow her 'adventures'. Her flaws are shown, I think, as flaws and the pilot certainly offers up no excuses for her. She's not perfect and that's it. But, at least, she tries to do a few good things along the way.

Impressive Actors: Edie Falco and Paul Schulze stand out. I never watched The Sopranos past the pilot, but I saw her on 30 Rock. The woman has star quality. And she could do better than this show.

Less-Than-Impressive Characters: The rest of the characters are ignored in this opening episode. Which is fair enough. The first episode is about Jackie. I understand that. We get brief character sketches of the others: smart-talking female doc, over-eager student nurse, gay best friend, nice guy lover, pretty-boy idiot doc and stern hospital administrator. Nothing in the pilot to interest me in any of these. Early days. I'm sure the show will flesh them out. The priority is making Jackie interesting and they managed to do that.

Less-Than-Impressive Actors: Seems like a solid cast all the way through.

Continuity: Probably be mild.

Rewatchability: Zero. Watched this once. I'll either watch Episode Two next or nothing. No real reason to go back and watch this specific half-hour pilot again.

Other Info: Check out the review at The Futon Critic.

Three Things I Really Like About This Pilot:

Edie Falco

Paul Schulze

Jackie Peyton

Three Things I Really Don't Like About This Pilot:

It's yet another grim, gritty medical drama.

Not enough fleshing out of the supporting characters. Yes, I know it's a pilot and only a half-hour long, I'm just saying, that's all...

Not enough Paul Schulze. Seriously. The guy is barely on camera. Yet his is the closest thing the show has to a genuinely nice character. Although he has flaws, too.

Miscellaneous Comments:

I like Edie Falco and I like the lead character. I'm not sure I'll go back to this hospital, though, to see the (grim) daily grind. Jackie is likable because of Falco. I'm not sure another actress could make me care about the character. And if it's not in the writing, should I bother going back for more?

GRADE: B+

yaTVRp_s04e35

2009-06-08T00:31:00.002+01:00

Supernatural, Friday Night Lights, Nurse Jackie, Dexter, Shazam!

MP3 File

The Nick C Blog

2009-06-06T22:33:00.003+01:00

Well, it's starting to look like Reaper is gonna stay cancelled. But at least I found The Nick C Blog.

Every other year at this time (as far back as Dark Skies) I've been part of some campaign or other to save some show I loved. When I say "been part of some campaign" I mean I fired off some e-mails and stuff like that, I've never actually chained myself to a network executive's Mercedes or anything in that vein (though for 24 or Friday Night Lights I probably would).

Because of my interest in saving Reaper I found The Nick C Blog which is proving to be very interesting reading. It's only new, but it has some reviews on the new Fall shows. I always like to read that kind of stuff (the kind of stuff you find year after year on The Futon Critic).

So that's something, at least.

Kyle XY season two episode reviews

2009-06-06T18:11:00.002+01:00

Season 2, Episode 1. "The Prophet" Low production values and writing that can sometimes be too on-the-nose for my liking cannot take away from the fact that Kyle XY is an exceptional series. It manages to walk the line between sci-fi action-adventure and heartwarming family-drama with an almost complete success rate. This particular outing (the best so far in the series) has two stories to tell. First of all, Kyle finally learns his history. All of it. Who he is, where he came from and why has has the powers that he has. As superhero origins go, it's a pretty cool one. Meanwhile, the other story follows life with the Tragers: the family that adopted Kyle during the first season. They are having a hard time learning to live without him (particularly the mom). It's not often you meet a show that is equal parts cool and heartfelt. Best scene? Although the final scene was wonderful (the reunion between Kyle and his 'family') I think the highlight of the episode - for me - was when he explained to Tom Foss that he wanted to go back to the Tragers because... he loved them. Simple. Powerful.

Season 2, Episode 2. "The Homecoming" Hot on the heels of it's best ever episode, the show raises the bar and delivers - once again - it's best ever episode. And unlike the season premier, which was marred by low production values when it needed new sets and pyrotechnics, this is a flawless episode. Largely because it is story-driven and character-driven, as opposed to event-driven.

Having spent a season riding on the mystery of "Who Is Kyle XY?" the show doesn't miss a beat when it side-steps into a whole new world of tension and conflict. I've seldom seen a show re-invent itself so well (House? Veronica Mars? Prison Break?). Kyle's web of lies - in an earnest attempt to put his life back together - has generated a whole new set of problems. The best scenes are the ones with Declan, and the best cast member is Marguerite MacIntyre.

Season 2, Episode 3. "The List is Life" One of the cleverest genre shows I have ever seen. At this stage there are many, many plotlines in play. Some of them are hardcore sci-fi and some of them are pure family drama / soap opera. Some shows with multiple plots are schizophrenic in the way they handle them. Desperate Housewives (which I used to watch) and Friends (which I watched from start to finish, and hope to watch again when I finish Seinfeld) were two of the worst offenders. You felt, sometimes, like you were watching two different shows spliced together. Sometimes on Friends the plots moved at different speeds so what was happening to one character took place over the run of a few hours and what was happening to someone else took days to play out. Yet it was all edited together in a random (annoying) manner.

Kyle XY plays it's plots off one another. When Kyle wants to rush off to talk to the girl he has a crush on, the guy trying to teach him how to use his superpowers has a fit and they have a major fight. The show is full of moments like that. Nothing happens in isolation and they whole show has a richer feel, as a consequence. And it never ceases to amaze me how they can merge sci-fi superheroics with teen soap and make it work.

And what plotlines are currently in play? (1) Kyle has to try and maintain his web of lies so he can continue living with his adopted family. (2) The friendship between Kyle and Declan has been destroyed by Kyle's secrets. (3) Kyle and Tom are fighting over Kyle's special abilities. (3) Kyle loves Amanda, but (4) her boyfriend is cheating on her. (5) Declan dumps Lori. (6) Nicole still hasn't recovered from losing Kyle, and has lost her passion and drive for life. (7) Jessi has been programmed to assimilate into Kyle's life, but (8) she may be faking. (9) Emily seems troubled by elements of her mission, as given by Ballentine. (10) Josh meets a cute girl. And (11) Nicole sees evidence of Kyle's superpowers and decides to (12) keep his secret, rather than tell. Finally, (13) Amanda finds out that she has been cheated on, but (14) is angry at Kyle for keeping the secret.

It's all delivered using a top-notch, thoughtful, narration and the show is fantastic.

Season 2, Episode 4. "Balancing Act" Slightly disappointing, because it rethreads some of the stuff we've already seen covered: namely the family not being sure that Kyle will want to stay with them. I mean, he's been back for two episodes. Move on! Much better is the Declan storyarc, as he tails Kyle to his training sessions with Tom Foss.

Season 2, Episode 5. "Come to Your Senses" I like Tom Foss but having an episode without him (and the training scenes that go with him) makes the whole show seem fresher than it has been in weeks. For once, the while storyline revolved around Kyle's crush on Amanda (the girl next door) and there's even a case-of-the-week for Kyle to solve. Lori is a great character and she's makes a great partner for Kyle as they go after a burglar who has been striking in the area. The story is told with several wonderful touches, including Kyle sending a note to the guy at the very end. Awesome.

Season 2, Episode 6. "Does Kyle Dream of Electric Fish" A mixed bag. A lot of this episode is devoted to Josh and his awkward romance with Andy. She's a kooky girl. And the actress totally fails to pull it off. It doesn't work. And it's painful to watch. (If you want to see this kind of role done right check out the girl on The Crow, she's awesome.) It's a pity that this plot drags the episode down so much, because the stuff that happens to Kyle is fantastic. He finds new powers (he can "walk around" in his own memories) and gets a message from his creator/father. This leads to the story's stunning final revelation and a warning to Kyle not to trust one of his closest allies. Awesome twist.

Season 2, Episode 7. "Free To Be You and Me" is more like a teen-soap than any other episode has been. But, you know what, all that honest-to-goodness teenage-love is good for the soul. Kyle and Amanda spend a heck of a long time gazing lovingly into one another's eyes in this episode and, I swear, it left me with a big ol' grin on my face. It's just so darn sweet.

This was also the episode where Kyle learned to dance and that was great, too. Equal parts sweet and funny. Plus, after seven episodes of teasing us, the show brought two ongoing plots to conclusion: Kyle met Jessi for the first time, and Kyle finally started telling Declan the truth. Their reconciliation was a great scene. I love the way Declan bypassed all the nonsense and jumped right to showing Kyle the threatening photos he'd received.

Season 2, Episode 8. "What's the Frequency, Kyle?" Kyle XY is one of the best written shows on TV, and it also has one of the best casts. Bruce Thomas is normally overlooked by the scripts on this show, but he really gets a chance to shine in this one, when Stephen's father goes into a coma and dies leaving lots of things unsaid between the two men. It's a very human story and (although the show uses Kyle's powers to offer some solace) I applaud the show for telling a sad story where nothing much gets resolved. Stories like this are closer to real life and have much more impact than implausible death-bed reconciliations.

Jaimie Alexander does her best work so far in this episode as Jessi starts to come to terms with her actions. Specifically: her attack on Lori in the previous episode. Jessi is in major turmoil for most of this episode and Alexander is pitch perfect. The ending of this plotline was also quite sad. What exactly is going to happen to Jessi? Are they going to wipe her mind? Which, effectively, kills the girl who has been on the show this season? I hope not. I hope she kicks ass, breaks free and starts to deal with her mistakes.

Finally, none of this would work if Matt Dallas wasn't so frakkin' great in the central role. He brings such an innocence and wonder to the role of Kyle, and his voice-over narrations set the whole ponderous tone for the show. I love the type of stories this show is able to tell. Small family-driven tales wrapped up in a sci-fi envelope. And the show tells then without creating false tension. When Kyle starts to receive messages from the dying man, Stephen doesn't resist them. A lesser show might have created "conflict" by setting it up so that Kyle had to win Stephen over or something. Thus wasting our time with something we've seen many times before. Instead, the show concentrates on the wonder of what Kyle can do. And it's all rather cool. And makes for great stories.

Season 2, Episode 9. "Ghost In The Machine" It starts off with one of the worst ideas ever used in the series, but it quickly develops into one of the very episodes this show has offered. Lori decides that she wants to do something reckless and visit the site of a recent murder. Huh? What the frak is that about? The writers are - I think - so embarrassed by this lame idea that it happens off-screen and we first learn of it when we hear Declan and Kyle talking about it. Of course, this (nutty) quest brings all of the main characters into the woods and back to the place where Jessi committed the murder. Which, of course, is also beside Zzyzx.

Very lazy writing, guys.

Once that nonsense is out of the way, the episode that follows is one of the very best: Kyle 'time travels' back into some 'memories' he didn't know he had acquired, we get a further clue on the whole 'should Kyle trust Foss' mystery and we see that Jessi has been reprogrammed by Madacorp and is no much more focused on Kyle. Pity. I like her.

The scenes with Kyle walking around in the past are very cool, the confrontations with Foss are great, but the revelation as to the identity of the real Bad Guy is something that was predictable at the very start of the season.

Never mind. Great episode.

Season 2, Episode 10. "House of Cards" Kyle brings Declan onto 'the team' and - together with Tom Foss - they plan a heist: To get Kyle's ring back. Everything that has been set up in earlier episodes is starting to pay off and the show is getting even more satisfying to watch. It's also great fun to see Foss and Declan on-camera together. Kyle does some cool stuff in this episode and (of course) his 'secret life' causes him to cancel a date with his new girlfriend. The show takes these clichéd situations and bends them to suit the characters. So the episode ends not with a fight but with a sweet kiss. This is why the show "works for me" (to quote Rick Hunter). Amanda is nice. And the script doesn't make her behave mean to Kyle to create false drama. Instead the drama comes from Kyle's innocent with these situations. We are nervous for him and therefore engaged in what is happening between him and Amanda. Her reaction to him makes for great character writing, too.

It's a great show. I don't watch Smallville (I saw the pilot and hated it) but I presume Kyle XY is a kinder, nicer version of Smallville.

Anyway, Smallville was a rip-off of the far superior Roswell. But I digress...

Season 2, Episode 11. "Hands on a Hybrid" Bit of a mixed bag, this one. I have no interest in the Andy-has-cancer storyline or where they are taking it. And the stuff with Hillary uncovering vital plot information in her cameraman's raw footage was genuinely awful. Simplistic and silly. Or to call a spade a spade: it was really bad. However, this was also the episode where Kyle read Jessi's mind and deduced that she was just like him. All of those scenes (and the scenes with Tom Foss being mind-probed) were very good.

Season 2, Episode 12. "Lockdown" A bottle show, of sorts, where everything happens in the house where the family lives. Kyle has a long dream sequence where his mind manifests two people and he discusses with them the problems that he is facing. For the first time in the history of the show the scenes with Andi were not totally awful and I could bear to watch them. I'm not even remotely interested in her, or her cancer story. I wish the character was dropped from the show, to be honest.

The parents have a bad fight but, by the end of the episode, have opted to tell each other some things they know about Kyle. A good step forward. For them, and for the show.

The final scene (Kyle meets Jessi in the woods) is very good. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Season 2, Episode 13. "Leap of Faith" Flawless episode. Kyle and Jessi team up and go searching in the woods. Their bond is strong now. They are basically brother and sister, right, so why don't they come out and say it? Bugs me.

Kyle phones Amanda to get her help at a key moment. She's having a hard time dealing with the while Jessi situation but the bottom line is: she trusts Kyle and agrees to help. Good character writing. I'm more interested in this type of storytelling. Having Amanda storm out when she thinks something might be happening between Kyle and Jessi is a bit too fake for my liking. This is more credible drama.

The stuff in the woods was good, but so was the stuff back at the Trager House. The family (kept in the dark for all of Season Two) start to put the clues together and ask questions about Kyle and his nature. These are some of the best scenes the show has ever delivered and so is the scene between Declan and Tom Foss (Kyle's Guardian Angels).

Season 2, Episode 14. "To C.I.R., With Love" How exactly did Jessi survive that fall? They never tell us. She just did. So... Accept it. Hmm.

It's a good episode. The Treger's now know everything about Kyle and set out to help him. Resulting in the (apparent) ending of several story arcs. Plus the start of some new ones. The show evolves wisely. Phase 1: Nobody knew where Kyle came from. Phase 2: Kyle knew but kept it a secret from his family. Phase 3: Everybody knows. Logical progression. I like it.

Season 2, Episode 15. "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" A total winner. Recent episodes may have changed the status quo of the series, and brought some ongoing storylines to an ending, but this is a much better episode. In fact, this is one of the very best episodes the show has thus far delivered.

The a-plot is a tale you can't tell on any other show: Jessi is using her super-powers to gain attention, and it is putting Kyle's secret in jeopardy. And it's not just a great story, the writers manage to infuse it with depth and meaning. Jessi and Kyle have this great conversation about human nature and the lure of celebrity. It's wonderful. Well written. And superbly performed (especially by Matt Dallas. Someone give that man an Emmy!).

Now that the whole family knows about Kyle we get lots of cool scenes of them trying to figure out ways to protect him and keep his secret. I love that stuff. It's an example of the show avoiding false conflict and writing the characters really well. They do this, too, with Amanda and her relationship with Kyle. There have been several moments where it could have gone wrong and the could have written Amanda as having a fight with Kyle over something that had happened, that she didn't understand. Instead, they write Amanda really well. And now they are doing it with the family. Where each one is shown to be on Kyle's side and willing/wanting to protect him at all costs.

Hillary and Andy (two character that normally irritate me and lead to embarrassing scenes) are good in this episode, too. For once, Hillary's excesses are toned down somewhat and she seems like she could (almost) be a real person. Josh opting to become a doctor, so he could cure Andy's cancer, was well handled.

It's a great show. But it's about time the writers/producers figured out how to use the character of Tom Foss. Nicholas Lea is underused. The character vanishes when the story has no need of him. It would be more interesting to keep him around. He's so at-odds with the world that Kyle lives in, it would be a weekly joy to watch him try to adjust.

Season 2, Episode 16. "Great Expectations" For the second week in a row, the show delivers a flawless and wonderful episode. As much as I love the dark sci-fi conspiracy stuff, I feel that the show is at it's best when Kyle deals with real world stuff. Small stuff. Lots of shows have done the whole conspiracy bit, but few have managed the real world stuff quite so well. Case in point: Kyle thinks his girlfriend might be about to break up with him, and he can't even get to talk to her to find out what's on her mind.

I love the fact that Lori and Josh pitch in to help and it's really cool to see Kyle having to use his powers to do something as mundane as talk to the girl who lives next door.

Jessi is really well written in this episode. I feel for her: the outsider, trying to fit in and forever a victim of her past. She does the wrong thing at the end of this story, but I understand why she did it.

Season 2, Episode 17. "Grounded" For the third week in a row, the show delivers a flawless and wonderful episode. At the end of episode 16 Amanda arrived at Kyle's window and asked to hide out and spend the night (while she figured out how to confront her mother). This episode picks up seconds later as Kyle and Amanda prepare the sleeping arrangements. It's a great opening: funny and sweet and romantic. With a strong undercurrent of teenage sexual tension. Next day, with Amanda still hiding in the house, a social worker descends on the Tragers to ascertain if Kyle is living in a suitable environment. And while Kyle is trying to hide Amanda from everyone, Lori is trying to hide a room full of beer! There's a lot of running around, all very funny, and some nice character work on all of the regulars. Josh, in particular, gets a great scene telling his older sister that it's about time she cut Declan a break. Hear, hear! Well said, Josh!

Kyle gives a great speech about what family means to him and there's a nice twist at the end.

Jessi has, in these last few episodes, taken huge leaps towards becoming one of my favourite characters on the show. She's like a lost puppy. Eager and needy... and likely to cause damage if left watched... She has evolved into the perfect baddie for this show. She can cause, trouble, yes but there is the potential for eventual redemption.

Season 2, Episode 18. "Between the Rack and a Hard Place" Another bottle show. The series does a lot of these: stories confined to one location (one standing set) and it always does them well.

It's Sunday at the place where Josh works, and Amanda has just gotten a job there. Naturally, Kyle stops by to see Amanda and so does everyone else. Good solid character work drives the episode. Jessi, in particular, is being really well handled by the writers. Everyone is pushing her away. We can understand why, but Jessi can't.

Where is it all leading?

Season 2, Episode 19. "First Cut Is the Deepest" Jessi XX is one of the best characters on television right now, and Kyle XY is one of television's best superheroes. This episode sends both of them to a college to research Jessi's mother and it's cracking character study. The two super-powered individuals are wonderfully contrasted: Jessi pushing to win at all costs, Kyle motivated by genuine concern for her well-being.

The final moments, where Kyle hugged Andy, sent shivers down my spine and brought tears to my eyes. Amazing TV.

Season 2, Episode 20. "Primary Colors" Another superb episode finds Kyle's powers going out of whack, at a time when everyone needs him.

The show cleverly finds ways for everyone to need Kyle at the same time and gets mileage from his guilt when he lets them down. It's a real mystery, too, trying to figure out what is causing the problem. I suspected that it might be the record he was playing, but I was also wondering whether it could be the cancer-curing hug from last week. Just like the script wanted me to.

It's a clever show, and it has more heart than anything else on TV.

Season 2, Episode 21. "Grey Matters" Another flawless episode in a run of quality episodes that simply amazes me. Kyle XY is - quite simply - the highlight of my TV week right now and has been for the last two months. Every episode delivers a strong story with great character development for all of the characters. There is nothing flashy or action-packed about anything that is happening but it is every bit as entertaining as Prison Break or Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Amazing.

This time out Jessi is once again at the centre of everything. But in a subtle way. She steals the test paper from an upcoming exam and posts it online. Unfortunately Kyle is the number one suspect and Josh (who didn't cheat) is in trouble because he did better than usual in the exam.

Everything that is happening to Kyle, Jessi and Josh is in this episode is skillfully written so that it is part of their ongoing development as characters. All three have changed a lot this season. All three have grown.

Meanwhile, everything that happens to the other regulars is somehow tied to Jessi or tied to the idea of breaking/bending the rules (cheating). It's clever. It seems like every body has to think about and weight up the consequences of going outside the rules.

Season 2, Episode 22. "Hello…" The prom gets closer and Sarah and Jessi prepare to meet.

"She Could Be You" by Shawn Hlookoff is used in almost every episode and I never tire of it. It's a wonderful, fitting piece of music and it pretty much always brings a tear to my eye.

Ally Sheedy seems like an odd choice to play Jessi's mother but - it must be said - she brings a great... snarkiness to the role. She comes off as cold and lacking in emotion. So... the perfect mother for the dysfunctional Jessi!

Season 2, Episode 23. "I've Had the Time of My Life" Everyone is excited about the Prom for different reasons, and Jessi prepares to leave town.

Another wonderful episode. The ten episodes of Kyle XY shown in 2008 were just about perfect in every way. Each one had solid character development and drama, great dilemmas for Kyle to resolve and a truly wonderful character in Jessi. Her departure (if this is indeed her last episode) makes a show a lot less interesting in my eyes.

Lori finally makes her decision about Declan and, while I am sorry to see the story end this way, I am glad that the writers seem ready to move on from this story and give Declan more to do than mope over Lori (preferably something in Kyle's storylines).

Josh is the character who has changed most in the run of the series and it shows in all his exchanges in this episode. I've even grown to like his girlfriend. It took a while, but I got there.

Kyle and Nicole always have some of the best scenes on the show. The characters really seem to share a specal bond and her talk with him (before he heads out to the Prom) highlights all that is great about these characters on-screen talks. Marguerite MacIntyre always impresses me in these scenes.

The best scenes, however, are the Jessi scenes. Every one of them is a treat. This is where she prepares to leave. So we get to see in conversation with Amanda, then with Lori and - finally - Kyle. Jaimie Alexander is terrific in all these scenes, and the rooftop goodbye with Matt Dallas will bring a tear to the eye.

Then there is the Kyle-Amanda romance. Their final dance at the Prom is magical and romantic and - totally - didn't prepare me for the shock cliff-hanger...

The Listener episode reviews

2009-06-05T15:28:00.007+01:00

Episode 1. "I Am an Adult" Paramedic rescues a woman, hears her thoughts about a missing child, but she says nothing to nobody...

Pretty good start. I immediately liked the hero (Craig Olejnik is perfect casting) and I was entertained not only by the story, but by the way the story was told.

First off, I was curious as to how they would make the hook (missing child) make sense. But they made it work. Next, I was impressed by the way that the narrative followed the injured mother (the guest star) for large chunks of the episode, and we got to see what she was doing herself to rescue her child, while our hero tried to figure out what was going on.

Worst bit? The dreadful dubbing in the first scene with Colm Feore.

Best bit? Lisa Marcos is very sexy as the cop working the case.

Episode 2. "Emotional Rescue" Arsonist.

Yes, we've seen this done before (Early Edition springs to mind) and yes the plots are average. But...

I like it. The don't overuse the gimmick and - when they do use it - the use in in an intelligent way. The cast are great. The cop is written as being very smart and the hero is written as often being wrong. So, it's interesting to watch them working.

Also, the show looks fantastic. All the buildings seem lit with different colours, or something.

One major complaint. The Colm Feore scene was badly written. He popped up, delivered exposition, and vanished. Awful writing. And a dreadful waste of a truly fantastic actor.

Episode 3. "A Voice In The Dark" Kidnapped girl.

The stories are still pretty lame, but I still really like this show. Besides it reminds me of shows like Early Edition and The Pretender and most of the stories on them were pretty lame, too. And I loved those shows, particularly The Pretender.

There are other reasons to watch:

Craig Olejnik is a great leading man. He sells the idea of hearing people's thoughts and he's very likable and sympathetic. He's got that whole wounded dove thing going on, yet he's Alpha Male enough to carry to mild action sequences.

Toby Logan is a great lead character. His power is cool and the show doesn't overuse it. In fact, they underuse it and - when you think about it - it has very little impact on the stories. In this episode, the power is used to kick start the tale but after that it is of no use. The audience at home knows who the real bad guy is long before Toby cottons on to it. But, powers aside, I like the guy. His messed up love life, desire to help/save people and his mysterious past make him worth watching on a weekly basis.

Ennis Esmer is a great sidekick. Very likable and funny. He should get more screen time. At the end of this third episode Toby tells him his secret and this will hopefully increase his involvement in future stories. It's a good move. Also, it makes sense that Toby would have someone to talk to. He's needs a confidant so that the audience can hear his thoughts (ironically). This episode was just a lot of silly running around. Toby wandered around Toronto. Spied the mysterious street kid and chased after him. Only to lose him and return with a clue. This happened, what, three times in the hour. Hopefully future stories will avoid such idiotic storytelling by giving Toby somebody to share his thoughts with.

Lisa Marcos is crazy hot. And, whatever flaws the show may have, they are doing a great job of writing this particular character. Both Listener and Castle have paired the hero with intelligent female detectives who seem capable of solving crimes without the help of the lead guy. Too often shows fall into the trap of making the hero 'special' by making everyone around him dumb. So, I really like the approach of making both leads smart/special.

Episode 4. "Some Kind of Love" Toby's date is murdered.

I like this show, and it's better now that his friend knows his secret, but some of the story elements are clumsy. Very clumsy. Most of the conflict, in this episode, with the sexy detective lady didn't make much sense. It was just a case of the writers making Toby say something stupid to annoy her (and create false conflict). Also, the trail that led to the first dead man was badly written: Toby's awful composite image and his ability to sneak into a patrol car and - within two minutes - mind the man in question were... really, really stupid.

But, it's not a bad show and the elements that I like... I really like. So I'm gonna stick it. It's light entertainment. A fun, summer show.

Episode 5. "Lisa Says" Toby tries to help a street kid with an unusual past/problem.

The best case-of-the-week for Toby so far. The twist at the midpoint really surprised me, and made the episode more interesting. Toby's powers are, when you think about it, pretty useless to him. They never tell him anything useful.

The show's real strength are the scenes between Toby and his best friend. Great writing and acting/chemistry make for some hilarious and believable scenes of a friendship.

The show's worst weakness are the scenes with the lady cop. The script tries so hard to create romantic tension between them that much of what they say to each other is nonsense and she can come across as a heartless bitch. In this episode he asks for her help with the missing kid and she is really horrible to him, for no logical reason.

Episode 6. "Foggy Notion" Murder in Chinatown.

It may have fairly pedestrian case-of-the-week tales but I can't escape the fact that I really like this show.

There are two main reasons for this.

I like the angle of the hero who cares about people he meets and wants to butt into their lives and help/save them. It's the whole Pretender/Early Edition thing, I suppose. Toby keeps running around getting involved in stuff that has nothing to do with him. He's a goodie-goodie. Like Tru on Tru Calling he knows stuff that he shouldn't and he uses that knowledge to try and save lives and stuff. I dig that stuff. It makes him a very old fashioned TV hero.

I also like Lisa Marcos a lot. A whole lot. I really like to watch her body move as she, you know, walks around and stuff. Sure, it's a pretty lame reason for liking a TV show but - Hey! - I'm being honest. Don't mark me down as being hopelessly shallow. I'm not: I also like her hair!

The show always writes to write the scenes between her and Toby really badly (which I'm starting to find charming, not annoying) but it does manage to write her as a smart character in her own right. She gets a lot of screentime and she's very much a lead character in the show. Also, as of this episode, they bring her in on 'the secret'. Very cool. Makes me very, very keen to see the next episode.

Episode 7. "Iris" Faith healer.

This is a strong and enjoyable tale, but it's a very, very frustrating and unrewarding episode following last week's cliff-hanger.

At the end of Episode 6, Detective Marks (the utterly gorgeous Lisa Marcos) figured out that Toby could hear her thoughts. So in this episode... the writers barely feature her at all!!! And - worse than that - when she shows up to talk to Toby, the conversation that follows is... off-camera.

What the frak?!!

I mean, that's a guaranteed way to annoy and alienate your viewers. C'mon, the only thing that we are tuning in to see (after that cliff-hanger) is how Toby and Marks deal with one another, now that she knows his secret. And they don't show it??!!

That's just inept.

Aside from the lack of story/character development, I'm annoyed that Marks doesn't feature in the episode very much because Lisa Marcos is too sexy for words. (Hence the abundance of pictures!!)

Even without Detective Marks, this is pretty strong and enjoyable episode. Toby is pretty cool in this one (leaping a hotel reception desk, at one point, to get the information he needs) and the story has a nice twist to lift it from the norm: the girl he's helping has powers, too.

Michelle Adams gives a terrific performance as the girl with the powers. She brings a great sense of being 'above' everything to the role. Just like Craig Olejnik, really, who makes a fantastic lead.

But my favourite cast member is Lisa Marcos.

Episode 8. "One Way or Another" Charlie tracks a serial rapist.

Flawless. The first episode to nail the show's formula to perfection, and the first superb episode.

What did they get right?

Toby's powers were useful and without them there would have been no story. The show often makes the mistake of (a) Toby only hearing part of the truth and jumping to the wrong conclusion, or (b) Toby totally picks up nothing from the real bad guy and you wonder afterwards why the show didn't take that direction instead. This time out, the writer makes brilliant use of Toby's powers. Each use of the power (a) advanced the story, (b) was funny, (c) led to a character moment, (d) was genuinely cool/interesting.

This last one is significant. Being able to read minds would be a very cool power. But the show has never captured this. Until now.

They created a strong/excellent b-story for the underused Mylene Robic. The b-story was every bit as strong as the a-story. It had a great patient-of-the-week, it gave us great character insight into Olivia, it had loads of comic moments and a solid resolution. It had nothing to do with Toby, but it still managed to involve Osman in a meaningful way. In short, it was extremely well written.

Charlie was well-written and dynamic and heroic. Lisa Marcos was sexier than ever (my god, but she is crazy hot and I'm borderline obsessed) and she showed considerable acting chops, too. The scene where she revealed the story of her own rape was perfectly underplayed, and did nothing to dimish the character's considerable strength.

The climax was perfect on many, many levels. Toby's mind-reading powers were used in a very clever way, as Detective Marks was able to 'think' instructions to Toby and his following of these instructions was enough to distract her captor and allow Marks to escape and beat the living crap out of the creep.

It was a great climax on many levels. Toby and Marks were equally responsible for beating the bad guy. Which makes sense. Toby is a paramedic, not a cop and not a fighter. Marks is both a cop and a fighter. So, the writers made the absolute right choice by allowing her to rescue herself, by using Toby as a distraction.

Very, very good writing. And much more interesting than a clichéd Toby comes to the rescue ending.

It was also cool.

Indeed, all of the uses of Toby's powers were cool and fun. For the first time. My favourite bit? Toby chuckles at Olivia's thoughts and - when questioned about it - credits a passing Osman with being very funny. Osman, of course, takes the credit and keeps walking. This was a wonderful scene on many levels. It was cool. It was very funny. It showed that the writer has a great take on these characters and their dynamic.

I also love the way the show doesn't go for cliché "How could he know that?" moments. The Olivia storyline (a) was good, (b) had nothing to do with Toby or his powers, (c) took up loads of screentime. I feared that Toby would appear, read something and - in some way - affect the resolution of the story. No. The show wisely kept him peripherial to events in Olivia's story and let it find it's own resolution. In this way, they make the show a rewarding enemble show to watch.

But Lisa Marcos is my favourite.

Episode 9. "Inside the Man" Did a teenage boy murder his own parents, or was it the home invaders he let into the house?

Not quite as superb as Episode 8, but not flawed like the early episodes, this is a solid and very enjoyable outing. The twist that the kid has more than one personality is predictable, but well handled.

For the second week in a row, the show excels in giving all four regulars an abundance of good scenes and Olivia gets a really good subplot for the second week in a row.

Even better, the show seems to have gotten a complete handle on Toby's powers and has figured out a way to show/use them that is interesting, cool and logical.

Detective Marks has completely changed her views on Toby and uses him like a valued partner in this one. Their mutual trust/reliance is a key element in the enjoyment of this episode.

I really like Olivia, too. And her sister. And that whole storyline (which had nothing to do with Toby or his powers) was good fun. The show seems to be evolving into something that has four great regular characters and a way of telling low-key, ordinary stories in an honest, amusing way that avoids cliché and false conflict. Not bad.

Episode 10. "Missing" Toby and Oz try to help a man imprisoned for killing his wife.

Mid-way through the season, The Listener completely hit it's stride and started to deliver superb episodes. This is yet another superb episode. It doesn't feature Lisa Marcos very much but I love this show so much at this stage that I don't even mind. Much.

There are many reason to love this episode.

1. Toby's powers. The show has totally figured out how to use Toby's powers in a way that is totally cool, and totally serves the stories and makes them far more interesting. The guest actors in this episode play their parts with conviction, so we get that rarity in shows of this ilk: bad guys who can tell lies really well. Most liars on TV shows are really crap at telling lies, so much so that the hero doesn't need super powers to tell they are lying. Most of the suspects in this tale were telling lies and none of the actors played their part as if they were lying. This made Toby's powers all the more cool and interesting.

I also love the way the show has decided to manifest his powers: visions that might be memory or fantasy or intent or random nonsense. And it's up to Toby to interpret. Wonderful. Early episodes didn't make this clear. But it's the way it works now, and I love it.

2. Oz. Without making it a stated aim of the script, the show has found a way to show us how Toby's friends 'use' him and his power. He wanted to help Marks last week, so it was okay. But Oz was totally forcing him into using his power this week, and it was great to see how their friendship rides the rough waters of these moments without any self-conscious moments of discussion. Kinda like a real friendship. The Toby-Oz friendship has always been one of my favourite elements of the series, and it continues to be.

3. The story. It's a cracker of a tale from start to finish. Oz's parents are suffering the effects of the current financial crisis and Oz wants to use Toby to make some money fast. Their attempts to win money from cheating at poker were both funny and interesting and made perfect sense. A great answer to the question of why he doesn't use his power to make himself rich.

4. The twist. I love stories with a twist, and I love shows that opt to end their episodes on a downbeat note. The resolution of this episode was superb. Stephen McHattie is one of my favourite performers and he was a perfect choice for this role. All his scenes were great, but that last one was chilling. Craig Olejnik really sold the shock, too. Great work all round. Maybe the best 'moment' so far in the whole series.

5. Mylene Robic/Olivia. She didn't have as much screentime in this episode, as in the previous two, but I really love her and Toby as a couple. It's about time they brought her into the loop, to, with regard to his powers. Bringing Oz and Marks in on the secret opened the stories up in a major way and it would be cool if they tried to write a TV relationship where one of the characters was a mind reader. (I bet he still gets everything wrong!)

Episode 11. "Starting To See The Light" Toby thinks the man who just died was a hitman on his way to a kill...

Another strong case-of-the-week, with lots of cool touches involving Toby's powers and the regular characters. The show has nailed it. They know how to tell stories and use Toby's powers in an intelligent way. All uses of Toby's powers are cool, now. And they either advance the plot in some tangible way or they provide nice moments of insight into the characters in the stories. Class.

To throw Detective Mark's superior off the trail (of Toby's constant interference), Toby is forced to pretend that he and the sexy detective are dating. All scenes driven by this were hilarious. I laughed and laughed. Then rewound and laughed some more.

Episode 12. "The 13th Juror" Toby is a witness in a court case, but he's picking up thoughts for everyone in the room. And another version of the crime arises...

Another great episode. Why?

It's a novel way of telling the story. There are multiple new ways to use Toby's power shown in the episode (a woman appears behind him, at one point). The actual identity of the killer is impossible to guess. All four regular characters are getting quality screentime. There's a great subplot with the great Gordon Pinsent playing a guy who knows about Toby's past.

The final scene/shot is great, too.

Episode 13. "The Journey" Toby finally has a lead on his mother's location.

The first episode without a case-of-the-week. The first half of the episode is slow going and boring (maybe because the stuff that should have happened there was moved forward as a b-plot in the previous episode?) but when it picks up steam, it gets really good before fizzling out in an ending that is probably meant to be intriguing, but is - in fact - very annoying and vague.

The Listener is an unusual series. All episodes were case-of-the-week driven, but the first seven episodes were flawed and uneven. From episode eight onwards, while still being case-of-the-week driven, the show became superb and flawless. The show figured out how to make Toby's powers cool and interesting, and the show also figured out how to use the powers to enhance the story in unusual ways

There's a great example of that in the middle of this episode. There's a stalemate outside a motel. The guy we've been thinking is a bad guy suddenly appears to be a good guy and we suddenly realise we at home have been making assumptions about him that may not be the case. Even Toby's powers don't immediately help him decide what to do, and the show knows exactly how do put this across in a way that makes the story even more enjoyable. Good writing and good acting and the added bonus of an intelligent way of using Toby's powers.

Yes, they have learned how to do this. So, since this is the first non case-of-the-week episode I will forgive them for messing it up and I will assume that next time (if there is a next time) they will figure out how to pace it better. The start of this one was just too much Toby asking the old man all the same questions over and over and over again.

This is also the episode that finally lets Olivia in on the secret of Toby's powers. This show has a great regular cast, and great actors in the parts. I loved all the scenes between Toby and Olivia and I can't wait to see how the show writes their relationship now that she knows.

Lisa Marcos was underused. She hardly appeared.

The episode looked fantastic, with all the snow and the ending looks amazing. Even if I was very, very frustrated by the lack of... anything much happening in that final minute.

I desperately want a second season. But not for the backstory, they haven't made me care enough about the backstory and there are more than enough shows out there about lone heroes up against mysterious conspiracies. No, I want a second season because this show has turned into something that delivers A+ stories every single week and the hero, his powers and the cast are very cool.

And Lisa Marcos is the most beautiful woman on television right now.

Fred Astaire on Battlestar Galactica

2009-06-05T00:40:00.004+01:00

So great to read an enthusiastic review of an episode from the original Battlestar Galactica. Click here.

Two of my favourite sci-fi shows from the '70s tend to get a hard time from critics and various books on the subject. If they don't attack Battlestar Galactica, then they have a go at Space:1999.

And I shake my head in confusion. And, no matter what I am reading, I tend to think a little less of the writer. These shows are two of the best examples of the genre, and they were both way ahead of their time. So, if you can't step outside your own preconceived notions and genuinely evaluate something on it's own merits, how am I supposed to respect what you have to say about everything else?

So... great to read an enthusiastic review from someone I do respect. Yay!