Change Your Image
rwk2
Reviews
Skandal (2014)
The Albanian LGBT Movement Gets In Front of the Camera
Saw this at the Johns Hopkins screening in DC. It tells the compelling story of how the LGBT community took root in Albania, a country with a long history of communist dictatorship and anti-gay sentiment, growing from meetings in the capital city, to neighborhood awareness campaigns, and finally bursting onto the national TV stage with debates and open interviews.
The first hand accounts, some frightening, some funny, of how the movement grew to encompass art shows attending by dignitaries and annual pride rides, were fascinating to hear.
Being a former Albanian Peace Corps Volunteer, this film really hit home. Its what the Peace Corps SHOULD be showing new recruits looking to make a difference abroad. How to start from scratch, gather interested locals who want to make a difference, provide guidance and structure, and let them grown into their own thing. One of the guys in the movie said it best. It's not about us telling others how to be, or what to do. It's about us helping them to be what they WANT to be, without outside supervision at all.
Warehouse 13: Stand (2011)
2 Guns Down
So... Pete's willing to kill HG in the previous episode to keep Sykes from completing his plan, but NOT for some reason Sykes himself? OK, sure, he has control of HG via Cecil B DeMille's riding crop but he himself has no weapon, is sitting down, and TWO trained Secret Service agents have guns on him? What's the hold up here? Shoot him. And that's WH13 in a nutshell: a teenage show masquerading as a scifi classic. I like this show, don't get me wrong, but the weak attempts at building tension have the complete opposite effect. It's taken to a greater height as the show plays out too. Once they cross over it's so painfully obvious Jane or Artie could take him, and yet they don't. It's more of a Saturday morning show than a prime time one.
The Walking Dead: Cherokee Rose (2011)
Stop me if you've heard this one: zombie falls down a well and...
On the plus side they did finally get around to weapons training. Good move, that. I'm not sure why it wasn't mandatory, or what everyone else was up to, but Shane took Andrea and Carol out to practice. Let's say that's worth about 5 good storytelling points. Of course, worth about a billion bad points are (in no particular order): using "live" bait... to noose a walker... in a poisoned well... after literally JUST showing everyone huddled around a topographic map of the area and commenting about offshoots of the freshwater creek. Removing a contagion from a water supply doesn't magically cure that water; it's still had a dead body in it, regardless of the fact of it being a zombie. It's a coffin martini. I wouldn't drink that water after boiling it for a week straight.
Showing off your special effects skills for no good reason is just laughable (looking your way Michael Bay). If it doesn't fit in with a logical plot all you've done is make a joke to, and really about, the audience. It was stupid to risk Glenn in an effort to save the well. Go to the creek for water, or to the stocked truck Shane found like two days ago, or start digging another well, but don't risk someone's life! This isn't the desert, it's Georgia. There is water to be had. I'd want these idiots to leave too if I was Herschel.
And that's just the low point of the episode. Ransacking a pharmacy by passing perfectly good houses en route made no sense either, nor did leaving the horses (again, live bait) tethered outside without a guard, nor did having two people search instead of one guarding the other's back. I watch my buddy's back in a questionable 7-11. I like to think we'd be a little smarter than the average bear during the Apocalypse.
This one started cheesy, got dumb, and stayed stupid. Man, do I hope they step it up a few notches (before it's too late).
Once Upon a Time: The Thing You Love Most (2011)
The Real Housewives of Storybrooke
We're stuck somewhere down in the depths between Desperate Housewives and a somewhat decent made for TV SyFy channel movie (yes, they exist). I found myself doing other things whenever the plot shifted to Maine. It was just too melodramatic without any good reason to endure, both for me and for the lead actress. Why stay in this town where everyone is trying to get rid of you? For a kid you just met a few days ago who might be your son, or might be just nuts? After the first episode I figured she'd opt for a paternity test at least but as this show progressed it just made less and less sense why she would endure this at all, certainly not without a more compelling reason than a runaway's fairy tale. She's a bail bondsman with inside knowledge of the legal network underbelly and she has yet to even crack a computer to Google this town, or try any outside research at all for that matter.
Even in the fantasy realm it was a little thick. When a group brainstorm session of the dark side Elrond Council of Twelve meets to discuss evil payback and the key focus is trying to talk the queen out of it... suddenly they seem more slightly miffed rather than evil. And they can't avoid a moving tree? These guys aren't that tough, or evil, or even smart. They're melodramatic to a fault though.
There were moments, to be sure. Rumplestiltskin on either side is entertaining. The set-up between he and the queen was good. The sheriff continues to interest me. If only there were some logic thrown in here to tie it together somehow. They've planted a great seed but just aren't cultivating it properly yet.
The Walking Dead: Bloodletting (2011)
Saddle Up, Cowboy
I watch this show because I want to see zombies. I didn't see any the first half of this episode and that is a problem. A zombie show with great characters is awesome. But just a character show with some zombies thrown in isn't really worth my time. That's just regular TV and I'll eventually stop watching. Might as well be shopping at the mall to see as much social and family drama played out as the melodrama we had to wade through here.
The move from Carl getting shot last episode to getting medical care and introducing new characters took all of ninety seconds. Well done. Most it played out nicely between the episodes actually, and that was fine. Moved the story right along. And then it hit a brick wall in the form of Rick's continued weird parenting decisions. Your kid needs Type A transfusions and you're the only source. Even if you could leave, why would you? Stay by the bedside in case he wakes up again. I get he's concerned and overwrought but seriously that makes no sense. Nor does Lori whining to the only medical man available, "have you done this before?" Does it matter? Carl is either dead or has a slight chance. So an idiot shot your son. You let your son go wander off into zombie infested woods instead of staying in a cleared area. Who, really, is the idiot here? It was a mistake to cram all of that into a single episode. Drawing it out over two or more would have been better, substituting in some flesh eaters instead.
On the other hand, I must say I like the flashbacks to the day Rick was shot. Said it before and I'll say it again, I want to see how exactly society broke down as zombies, or "the epidemic" if you prefer, overtook these peoples' everyday lives. To me that's the key where TWD can distinguish itself from others in the genre. Not a small pocket of resistance (Night of the Living Dead) or well after the fact (28 Days Later); show us the play-by-play of reality crumbling into this funky new surrealism. On that note, when T-Dog saw the car seat splattered with blood, MAN, that was the most disturbing image I've seen in awhile. Speaking of him, thank you, writers, for illustrating his moniker (Theodore Douglas) and spelling out in his fever-induced delirium what we've been wondering since last season: what are the long term survival prospects for this group, anyway?
Lastly, here's a freebie of common sense. Two guys need to clear an area of walkers to search it. They drive up in a pickup. Just send one guy driving in slightly faster than a zombie can shamble to lead them away. They're not intelligent, they'll follow bait; they don't need to be tricked. Certainly two guys with no armor don't really need to risk themselves searching when one driver can just draw off the pack. It's like no one in this show has actually had a group discussion on survival techniques. Brainstorm! Instead, it always goes this way: we need something, you couple of people will go for it even though these people over here oppose the idea for sound and rational reasons. Take only one weapon each and under NO circumstances discuss the best approach to the problem on the way there--absolutely no strategy or tactics--and if at all possible leave a clear and easy trail back here for as many walkers as possible to follow you. We'll be here, not making any more defenses.
Notice how there isn't really any deterrent to keeping walkers away from the farm house. That wire fence won't do much...
Fringe: Alone in the World (2011)
A Knife to a Gun Fight
Good idea but unfortunately it wasn't thought out. I have an issue, based on every cop I've ever met, every soldier, every protector of the peace, that when these people are faced with hard decisions they make hard choices. Quickly and efficiently. If its a choice between a kid being hurt and several other people dying, the kid gets hurt. Why would an FBI agent even hesitate to save the city of Boston? Yet they do in Fringe. It's a human viewpoint to be sure, but I just don't buy it. Sucks. It's a regrettable decision, but it has to be done.
A threat is growing, literally, underneath the city. They know its dangerous and yet they attempt to poison it with absolutely no protection, even though they've seen it react to harsh light and know it's capable of devouring a human within hours. No surprise then that it fights back. Aren't these agents trained? Seriously, wouldn't absolutely anyone have read this script and said, "yeah, but what about..." (insert logic)? I KNOW every scifi fan would have.
On the plus side this episode did answer what the evolvement was of the Fringe team. Questions had been vaguely floating around my mind that were answered. Peter died as a child in the frozen lake because the Stranger didn't rescue him. Everything else is more or less the same. Olivia brought Walter in from the mental institution and he's still unbalanced (that last scene was awesome). Astrid is more of an agent now than the caregiver she was before (good move) and Olivia is clearly the second-in-command instead of just one of Broyle's operatives.
But seriously, when going into a hostile environment, dress accordingly. I like to think the FBI is on top of that kind of basic training. Don't bring a knife to a gun fight.
Once Upon a Time: Pilot (2011)
I'll keep watching
Intriguing idea. Fortunately, I'm a fan of the Fables GN so I knew who the Blue Fairy was (although not that she was a part-time Vegas showgirl; nice outfit) and the darker side of Rumplestiltskin. I never knew Snow White rocked out a Bride of Frankenstein hairdo or that fairytale-types were so melodramatic, but as it's a pilot I'll let some of that slide.
The story evolved well, taking place simultaneously in their past and our present with various "secret" identities of key characters being shown. So secret in fact, they themselves are unaware of their true nature. Which begs the question, if you aren't aware of what you've lost, how bad a prison are you in, really? The whole idea is that the Evil Queen took revenge on Snow White (and everybody else) by transporting them to our "horrible" world where she reigns as mayor of a small town in Maine and they, her citizens, have no idea of their pasts. Not really an awesome use of time and resources for someone who can bend nature and travel between whole worlds (dimensions/book shelves/whatever), to say nothing of forcing hundreds of others to do the same.
But I'll keep watching. There are story lines I'm curious enough about to see how they play out. Does the Queen remember? I'd think so, but she didn't totally act like it. Who is the Sheriff? What about aging? Henry is ten but everyone else has been the same age since they arrived. How long has this been going on? Was Red Riding Hood always a slut?
Inquiring minds and all that...
The Walking Dead: What Lies Ahead (2011)
The Zombie March
My buddy talked me into reality (as far as zombies go) today: "What, you don't think they should move at different speeds? Ever been on a sidewalk? NO ONE walks at the same pace." Good point: why would every zombie be able to balance and walk only at a slow mosey? Running is out, that takes much more coordination. But a semi quick trot in pursuit of food? I'll buy that. And some zombies aren't as motivated as others, hence some shamble aimlessly while some explore random places. This makes sense.
Two things that don't though. "This is a graveyard. I don't know how I feel about (scavenging)." More like a battlefield and even so, you're like the last people on earth. Afraid of a little bad PR? Get your children, friends, and compatriots anything that helps them survive. It's not robbing the dead. It's picking something useful up off the sidewalk. Seriously, I rolled my eyes just hearing her say that.
Dale keeping Andrea's gun because he doesn't feel comfortable with her having it. What? Is that even his call? You're twice as likely to shoot it accidentally, true. However, you're hundreds of times more likely to shoot a zombie since there are millions of them around. This is all after they've been overrun by zombies twice, first in the woods, now by a herd. Obviously she needs a gun. As a matter of fact, everyone needs a weapon, even the kids, at least a knife. How can that not be obvious? You have two trained policemen with you. Start teaching people weapons safety.
As opposed to some others I didn't think the CGI blood was overdone, personally. (Dressing a deer is messy, I assume dead humans are too). Plus, honestly, sometimes I want to see the gore. The lecture on suicide was pretty collegiate but still good to hear. Can't even say I totally disagreed with her. The religion undertones of this episode weren't too much in your face and they basically fit. Even the three walkers hanging out in church: that's probably where they reanimated after begging forgiveness, incapable of exiting, they eventually sat down. Other zombies have been shown sitting in cars, buses, and at home. Not really that odd.
All in all, I'm enjoying the ride. Way to come out swinging, keep the punches coming, and then leave it on a massive cliffhanger. Well done.
Fear Itself: The Circle (2009)
So bad...
Someone once posted there are two kinds of really, really bad shows: so bad it hurts, and so bad it's hilarious. This is the second kind.
The plot is just... ludicrous. The acting is so over the top melodramatic I have to applaud the actors. On the plus side there are some nice special effects. What's truly amazing is the characters continually give the viewer more plot pieces (thankfully, since there is no way anyone could pick it up from just watching, it's that stupefying), and just generally it steals from other (better) horror movies and shows. It's really not horror at all, but it is epically, awesomely, hilariously horrifying.
Mad Men: The Grown-Ups (2009)
Back on track
What is really memorable from this season so far, now that we're facing down the finale? Betty and Don in Italy, her father bonding over ice cream with Sally, Don remembering oddly disjointed California memories of his past? Heck no. All of that was quite boring actually. Mad Men was on and I was finding odd jobs to do around the house. But then it got better! A guy lost his foot to a lawn mower! Betty confronted Don (finally)! And now JFK's assassination overshadowing--so very, very deservedly overshadowing--a spoiled little rich girl's wedding. THIS is the good stuff. I wonder if the writers felt they were losing people from the slow start of the first half of the season or if this was the concept all along: a bland and outdated first half with a roller coaster ride build-up? What was the purpose of Don taking an unscheduled three weeks to live the weird LA lifestyle? If it was just to set up his "ex" wife for viewers that was as wasted airtime as his underage sex romp with an Olympian fencer's daughter.
But we're back in NY with the company on the chopping block and emotions are running high all around. Let's hope they do something worthy of all this and continue with the much needed rescue of Season 3.
Fringe: 6:02 AM EST (2011)
Dangerously close to Absurd
We are toeing the line here people. Four points stick out as not only unnecessary but largely unscientific, and perpetrated by scientists. First is Fauxlivia's bucking of the chain of command to break in and steal a way to come to our side to... what? Talk with Peter and get him to come back and visit the enemy camp to convince his father who may or may not be tinkering with an unknown artifact to stop doing that? I had trouble following that line of reasoning, particularly from a highly trained soldier. Our Fringe team's overly dramatic response to an unusual event was over the top too. "Well, let's hook up Peter to this machine. Sure we don't know what it will really do but we've had a fair warning that it might end the universe as we know it BUT, hey, 500 sheep did disappear this morning so that's a gamble we're willing to take. He might be able to switch it off." Then there was Nina's confession to Olivia about Sam. Apparently she's known since before Bell went missing that he was the key to the whole thing, and yet even so she only consulted him a handful of times. And he turned off his phone! Oh no, we can't track him, even though we have billions of dollars and all this state of the art equipment. But what really irked me was Walter's sudden conversion to Judeo Christian beliefs. It would have been more fitting for him to confess to a person than to God. I get his confession and plea to a greater being but the placement in the story was a bit weird, particularly to a specific deity, considering he hasn't shown any structured belief up until now.
Fringe: Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (2011)
Inception on Acid
This one appeals to the anime geek inside you. In a blatant rip-off of Inception, Peter and Walter (and Bell) decide to drop LSD, grouplink their brains to Olivia's, and dive inside her mind to find her core consciousness. Olivia has gone hiding inside herself and has erected barriers of protection in the form of a city populated with "people" plus Nina and her step father, all pursuing and attempting to stop Peter and company. Straight out of Inception. (There are even zombies for some reason, which is the only notable difference between that movie and this episode.) At one point, for no reason at all, the format switches to Linklater's rotoscoping animation. I can only assume it was cheaper to pay for Leonard Nimoy's voice rather than his full acting self. Too bad none of the characters, including him, remotely look like their real life counterparts.
I like anime but it didn't really work here. Beyond the bad character profiling there weren't any super cool scenes that couldn't have been done with sound sets or matte paintings. I don't feel it added anything and it was distracting. As for the story, again, blatant rip-off of Inception. It's a good one, but that's why it was a multi-million dollar box office success. As far as Fringe goes, it was average sci-fi.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Reparations (2011)
Could have been great but left too many questions
Right off the bat, when did the rape take place? The roommate and her boyfriend were right in the other room, hear a scream, and rush in. Presumably she was quiet in the kitchen when her boyfriend snuck up to practice Krav Maga with her and she heard nothing? Based on my experience with NY apartments it is darn near impossible to NOT overhear everything through the wall.
For that matter, there was never actual evidence of a rape. He was IN the room but no more than that. Terrence Howard should have explored that angle a little more. Breaking and Entering is a far better cry than rape. Or is it? At the end the two attorneys agree to drop the plea bargain from 20 to life down to 15 to life, for B&E? Didn't know the plea deals were so similar for two such vastly different offenses.
But the oddest thing was the failure to prosecute an old child abuse case. Maybe the statute of limitations expires on that but I sure hope not. Those three Klan members made a child watch his mother's rape! That is horrid, yet no one thinks to prosecute him for it.
The race angle was a great plot device, particularly considering he delivered the school vegetables and she supposedly saw him everyday, but it was just lost to terrible writing. Too much time in the courtroom and not enough detective work.
Fringe: Bloodline (2011)
A Bit of a Spy Thriller
Again, another solid episode. This time we get to see some of the other side's character interactions, including: Olivia and her mom; Linc and Charlie (and Astrid); plus Walter and his assistant-over-there-but-is-Nina's-head-researcher-here. There is a kidnapping for nefarious undertones dealing with the pregnancy, a daring escape, a decent amount of screen time devoted to the cab driver from earlier in the season (the guy from The Wire), and a good resolution. Sure, there are questionable elements (nobody notices a shiny scalpel on the floor, or uses an IV instead of pills for guaranteed knock-out medication, or thinks to put guards outside the building) but they are fairly minor. More importantly they don't disrupt the story as totally out-of-bounds; they're believable enough. Everybody is a suspect up until Walternate talks to Lincoln halfway in, which is fine. This was a spy episode, not a whodunit. Enjoyable.
Fringe: Stowaway (2011)
I think I'll have another cup of Soul Magnet tea, thank you.
This episode has it's moments. The introduction of this side's version of Fringe Agent Lincoln Lee (in Clark Kent glasses, no less!) was awesome. The plot was pretty standard SciFi and it served more as a backdrop for the emerging relationship between Olivia-as-Bell and Walter. And that was cool but, dang, it was hard to listen her impersonate Leonard Nimoy. A tough act for any actor to get right and even harder for an actress. I can't belittle her attempt, it was good, it was just super weird to hear it, although seeing it was fine (the subtle flirting with Astrid was quite well plotted, I might add).
I did think it a tad odd that the blonde woman (who I'm pretty sure was in Caprica and Deadwood) didn't try better ways to die before opting for a train-bomb. Gunshots and jumping off buildings doesn't work, OK, but there are others ways to go before you decide to try and soul hitchhike with a trainload of people. To their credit, the writers did (kinda) address this when Peter and Lincoln are talking about (and around) her condition when it's implied she's off her nut a little. To a crazy person the strangest options make perfect sense I suppose. She was at the end of her rope and any possibility had a chance, even if it meant killing a bunch of other people just to try.
That was one question I had while watching. The only other was who the bomb maker was and why he put the bag there to begin with. As that was never explored it just felt like a convenient back door to set-up the "purpose driven life" cup of tea Peter and Olivia-as-Bell share at the end.
Anyway, it moves the story along and introduces another alternate, which tips it from just their above-average-yet-average 6 to a solid 7. Decent episode.
Fringe: Os (2011)
Whomever is behind the curtain clearly has their act together
Once again we see that someone with a solid grounding and background in sci-fi is at the helm. This episode takes regular science, the laws of physics, gravity specifically, and turns them around with a "what if" scenario. Then adds in the human component of a caring scientist trying to help people out, so driven in his work that he regrets the casualties he is causing, but still won't stop. Everything about this episode worked. The security details, the investigative methods, the slowly revealed plot and motivation of the scientist, it all meshed. And that's the just the main plot! The secondary issue of "soul magnets" was teased throughout the whole 43 minutes until being fantastically unveiled at the very end. And once again, all along the way we were treated to a real fan of the sci-fi genre being in control of things, keeping the story believable, but with just enough red herrings to keep us guessing too.
Well done Fringe team, well done indeed.
Fringe: Subject 13 (2011)
I guess I liked it
That is to say, it wasn't terrible, or annoying, or bad in any way. The characters were well developed and their motivation was explored in both universes. But it's also to say it wasn't edge-of-your-seat, or engrossing, or great in any way, either. At best it flushed out details from Peter's abduction decades ago. Including the first time Peter and Olivia met. We get to see more of both Walters, and their respective wives, as well as peeks into Olivia's and Peter's upbringing. All of which are key to the characters' histories but ultimately aren't really fascinating for the audience. Probably because by the time we come along to the story, now, 3/4 of this has either been forgotten or repressed by the people involved. Everything shown in this episode we could have extrapolated from what we already knew if we cared to think about it.
That being said, the most memorable scenes were Peter in the toy store looking over the Ecto-500, the first Joust joystick game for the ATARI, and a model of the original Battlestar Galactica. Now THOSE took me back a-ways!
Fringe: 6B (2011)
Between Fringe and V, the difference is great writing
This episode is solid, well-written, classic sci-fi. What happens when extraordinarily impossible things happen to regular people? I love that Fringe actually incorporates real scientific theory. Here, they take a look at one of Einstein's theories revolving around interaction between objects regardless of physical state or distance. More precisely, if two people lose their spouse, each in a different universe but in the same place, is their mutual grief strong enough to unravel the fabric between realities? The clincher came near the end of the episode when the old woman reflects about her dead husband. "If the impossible can happen, then perhaps some day I'll be with him again." Great sci-fi: the story unfolds, is highly entertaining, and at the end of a well-crafted tale the audience is left with something to ponder.
Now, compare this to V and their recent schlepping into matters of the soul. No basis in established religious theories or discussions (any of which are easily available on the internet--and yet an advanced alien race is clueless about them), no interesting conclusion, no real need to keep it in the thread of the series. Pathetic, really. I hate it when action, or effects, or gore, or any other plot device meant to stroke along the story is used in lieu of good, solid, old fashioned writing.
Which is why I will continue to watch Fringe but have given up on V. These stories make sense. Even for being fantastic, they're still grounded in reality. These characters react emotionally to what they're doing. Look at Walter. He's visibly distraught over a horrendous decision. Peter and Olivia's relationship is strained and they have to deal with it like adults. Even the peeks into the Other Side and what Fringe Division does in reaction to events at the apartment were interesting.
Overall this episode was... simply... excellent.
Fringe: Concentrate and Ask Again (2011)
It's all about accountability
This episode is back in the thick of what made the first two seasons sensational. It's an independent story that ties nicely into the bigger picture with well written plot and solid acting.
I like that no matter how lovable Walter is he can't outrun his past with the cortexifan trials and his experiments on kids; how he and Bell fundamentally changed people, sometimes for the worst, no matter how noble their intentions were. It follows that government weapons testing has multiple outfalls. Even a successful project is likely to have casualties, and in this case those causalities are skilled and motivated soldiers able to extract vengeance for what was done to them. Again, what was done to them was possibly with good intentions originally, but regardless the puppet masters are still held accountable for their part in it. As are the people who are funding the project, the key managers, and the doctors who worked on it. People who have wonderful public appearances and who do a lot of good but still can't escape that deep dark shadow of wartime experiments.
I also find it interesting, and truthful, that the FBI has difficulty finding information about a Top Secret project. Even with compelling circumstances and one piece of a soldier's resume the organizations that hold the rest of the pieces aren't going to just hand over the info. Even when danger and death are imminent for their own people. I like how realistic that part of the episode was. At first I thought, "Hey, we know there are two others. Why can't we just go get his file and cross check what units he was a part of over the past few years?" Because it's not that easy. Particularly when what they were a part of then is having negative consequences now.
It's all about accountability: Walter, Project Jellyfish, even to an extent Peter and Olivia. Your past actions have uncertain future consequences.
Shameless: Pilot (2011)
Eh.
The pilot episode was vaguely interesting. Unfortunately not enough so to keep me from switching between it and other new shows. This is the TV story of a poor family in Detroit who works together for the good of the whole. The hook is their work is mostly shifty. The dad collects disability checks from getting hit in the chest by a headless chicken while working at the local meat packing plant. He then proceeds to get pass-out drunk EVERY night. One daughter collects money for UNICEF but doesn't give it to the organization. One son tutors, even telling his client as she's giving him oral sex he'll have to still charge her as it's his job.
There is the usual amount of Showtime nudity, which seems to be what they're using for a formula these days. Breasts + seedy characters + course language = hit. It worked for Californication I suppose. Not so much for Shameless.
Perhaps if they shift focus to the kids more and the scams they're running it would be more entertaining. More useful at any rate. As it is, not only is it nothing we haven't seen before, it's nothing most of us (or at least childhood friends) haven't lived before either.
Dead Set: Outbreak (2008)
Wicked Cool
I just watched all the episodes of this mini series and on the whole it was good. I only really have two complaints, each capping the series. The first episode tries to develop the characters but fails at it. They're standard reality TV poster kids. Too bad the writers waste half of the first episode trying to string out that sentence more than it possibly could ever be. Once it crosses the hump though it's all zombies, all the time!
The next few episodes are excellent with three story lines eventually coming together. In the realm of zombie lore this is a really well done series. Personally I think it beats out the first season of The Walking Dead, due mainly to the writing. It's believable these people would react in these ways. It's plausible that the set would be utilized like this. The Big Brother angle was a good move. (Considering I don't care for reality TV it's a compliment to the producers I kept watching, even given the zombie angle.) Of particular note is the dialog. Amazing. Pretty much every conversation is poignant. I didn't find the camera work to be annoying but I know some people might not take to the "shaky cam" look. Actually I thought the visuals were quite well done. At the very end the parting shots from the cameras inside the house are pretty intense.
Which brings me to my second issue. Towards the end of the whole thing, the reaction to the jerk character (deliciously portrayed by the actor I might add) is a little odd. All through the show the weapons the protagonists find along the way are kept near at hand. Until the dangerous guy is locked up in the bathroom. THEN the guns are just left laying around. Like no one would think of this? Particularly after sending in the weak link to calm the jerk down. C'mon. However, even though it slightly irked me it did none-the-less set up the ending beautifully.
Jekyll (2007)
Only 6 episodes!
This series is like a set of six sprints. First episode was OK but pacing itself. Nothing too extraordinary, just gathering steam. It really hits its stride during episodes two through four. So much so that right there it's clear whose going to win the race. Hence, at the tail end episodes five and six are still solid but not as wicked cool as the middle ones. I was nervous in the beginning of number six, looked like it was going to go way cliché, but it came back strong.
A little sample of some of the coolest lines (and there are MANY):
"Trust me, I'm a psychopath!" and "My Daddy wants to have a word with you."
One of the things this series pulls off amazingly well is the use of flashbacks. It was clearly plotted out from the get-go (unlike LOST) and hence it all fits together perfectly. I haven't been this impressed by a whole series in a good long while.
Awesome.
Fringe: Marionette (2010)
Balanced
This was a really well balanced episode. A guy is going around taking back donated body parts from a suicide. To do so he's using a serum that slows the body's natural decomposition rate. So much so that after he removes the heart from one unlucky individual the man regains consciousness enough to beg the paramedics who arrive on the scene for his life. You really get a feeling for the double loss: the family and friends of the dead girl who donated her body to regenerative science and, obviously, the living people who are getting "repossessed" of organs.
At the same time, Peter confesses to Olivia that he was romantically involved with Fauxlivia. At first she claims she's cool with it but after breaking down over seemingly trivial things like laundry and Peter's shirt in her apartment she can't keep the charade up. Which struck me as incredibly human. Not that I thought she wasn't, I just wasn't thinking at all about the readjustment someone would have to go through AFTER a double has lived their life for awhile. And convincingly lived it too, to the point of dating the man she probably thought she would end up with eventually. Is my whole world that transparent, that easy to step into and be me? What is my real worth to my family, friends, and coworkers if they can't spot an impostor? Maybe they just like the actor better than the original. It makes you think is my point here.
And that's why I liked it. A balance between thought provoking plot, driven characters, a dash of goriness (a lot of open wounds are shown), and a conclusion to the episode that adds to the greater saga of the series. Exactly what a television show should be, a good chapter of a great book.
Jekyll: Episode #1.3 (2007)
Keeps getting better
The pilot episode somewhat hooked me. Interesting idea, good acting, decent writing. The second episode stepped all three up a notch and the story got a little more wind behind its sails. And now this, BAM, in your face.
Nesbitt is a gifted actor, no doubt about it. Every scene as Hyde is a killer (sometimes literally) and particularly in the basement standoff of this episode he outshines himself. Even as Jackman he's believable and that's no mean feat, jumping between two extremes. Kudos to the other characters too as I was hard pressed to find a fault here.
This show has gone from a pleasant distraction to a can't-wait-to-see series. And hence I've gone from somewhat hooked to totally on the line with this.
Recommended.
Dexter: The Big One (2010)
Say, what DID ever happen to the other Fuentes brother? (Loose Ends)
I hate it when cops are depicted as morons in movies or on TV. There are major leads here that no one is exploring. What about the car Dexter crashed, the one he stole from the marina the day a cop was found dead nearby? That shows that someone, either directly involved in the case or on the periphery, was there, stole a car, and drove it straight to where Deb THINKS Jordan Chase was killed. Speaking of, what exactly did she solve anyway? There is no body, there are no suspects. There probably isn't even any evidence, knowing how thorough Dexter is. Chase just disappeared, exactly what she has been trying to prevent. But now there is an upside-down car crashed at the scene. The investigation isn't over, the cops haven't closed anything out. If anything there is now a huge question mark between Chase and Liddy. Since Quinn was in custody, who else could it have been?
And the cops figure out it's not blood on Quinn's shoe, so... they just let him go. Off the hook. Even though his fingerprints, and ONLY his (plus the deceased) are on the van. And the equipment was checked out in his name. And he was a known contact. And the last person the victim called. What? The blood would have placed him at the scene, sure. BUT HE WAS ALREADY PLACED THERE. They need to examine his connection if for no other reason than it's pretty shaky for a guy whose just off of suspension to be requisitioning surveillance equipment off the books.
Even stranger is that Deb remembers her imprisonment and near-death experience at the hands of the Ice Truck Killer and thereby lets whoever happens to be doing vigilante killings in her town off the hook. Oh, wait, it's her brother. Can't let a cop actually learn everything possible at a crime scene. No way, she can't be intelligent about it. She already determined Chase hung out with questionable losers, maybe two of them are behind that plastic sheeting? No need to check it out. The vigilante image she's painted in her head is all the proof she needs. So Lumen and Dexter get a warning. Basically permission to keep killing people.
On the plus side of things Lumen is off the show. On the downside, it comes out of nowhere and makes completely no sense. Apparently now that all of her rapists are dead she's fine with someone else doing serial killing to avenge innocents but she herself can't do it anymore. That's it. No better explanation than that. She's out, she's done with Dexter, she's gone from Miami.
This season just... didn't go anywhere. They had a lot of great leads to follow and didn't do justice to any of them. Aside from the Fuentes killer still on the run (and speaking of, did they just drop that investigation or what? Shouldn't there be a ton of press clamoring after that story still?) all the loose ends are tied up neat and tidy. LaGuerta and Baptista are back in wedlock. Quinn is dating Deborah. Quinn knows something about Dexter but is keeping his mouth shut for now. Dexter's three children are back to live with him for the summer (which will probably get real annoying real quick). Basically this season was a waste. Nobody learned anything new, nobody grew at all, and nothing new was revealed.
Here's my two predictions for next season: the other Fuentes brother will track down Deborah to extract vengeance while simultaneously some new cop/fed addition to the cast will look a little more closely into the case of Liddy and start piecing some of these glaring clues together.