An unusually large number of new shoes are premiering this week, so I thought I'd put up a quick note to let you all know, so you can get on the fanboy boat early for them.
Comedy
The most high-profile entry is the new Office spin off that isn't a spin off, called
Parks and Recreation. P&R stars the always excellent Amy Poehler, along with Aziz Ansari and Rashida Jones (the yummy Karen from The Office, though she's playing a new character here). Early reviews are mixed, but with a cast this great and a producing staff like this, I'm in for the long haul. Remember that The Office took almost 15 episodes to really find its groove. After all, Baby Mama was a terrible script with a weak central story, but Amy Poehler's performance went a long way towards making it a film I wanted to watch more than once (and I have, and she's still awesome the second time around).
The first 4 episodes of Better Off Ted have already aired, but if you missed it,
you can still catch up on ABC's website. Seriously, this charming little show is laugh out loud funny most of the time, and it's still in its infancy. Portia di Rossi totally steals the show as Ted's ice queen boss Veronica (the scene of her assessing a line of children at the company daycare facility for a child cute enough to be her protege is particularly hilarious), but the rest of the cast also performs admirably. This week's episode dealt with the subject of race, and knocked it out of the park (Central plot: the new motion detectors installed by evil corporation Veridian Dynamics refuse to register the presence of black staff members, whose skin can't reflect enough light to make the sensors work. The company's solution? Hire white minimum wage workers to follow all the black employees around to open the doors and make the drinking fountains work. Hilarity did indeed ensue.).
Drama
New show Harper's Island
sounds like it should be awesome. It's a cross between Survivor and Agatha Christie's 10 Little Indians. Basically, a group of friends and family have arrived on the private Harper's Island for a wedding, but a serial killer is on the loose. Over the course of the show, the killer works his way through the island's occupants, with the show promising that a cast member will die every week. It stars Christopher Gorman, who I've loved in all his other roles (Ugly Betty, Popular, Jake 2.0). It's the kind of show that's fun if you're watching with friends and essentially playing along at home trying to
figure out who the killer is before the big reveal. Reviews are mixed for this, but if you follow
zap2it.com's 10 handy tips for enjoying the show, it might just be the kind of sweet televised confectionary treat to start your spring off right. Also, even if you hate some of the characters, you can enjoy the thrill of seeing them brutally murdered at some point!
A new cop drama premiered last night called The Unusuals. Normally, I'm not thrilled to see the TV schedule cluttered with yet ANOTHER cop show, but in this case, I may make an exception, due to the excellent cast assembled here: Amber Tamblyn (loved her in Joan of Arcadia, curious to see how she does playing an adult for once), Harold Perrneau, Adam Goldberg and Jeremy Renner look like they might be a lot of fun to spend Wednesday night with (consider the show a nice chaser to go along with your dose of Lost for the week). Jace over at
Televisionary has good things to say about this show:
But don't let the series' innate quirkiness get to you. The Unusuals is clearly positioning itself as NYPD Blue crossed with Barney Miller. Yes, there are homicides and other crimes typically found in every single cop series, but there's a levity and humor here that's not often found in most straightforward police procedurals. And there are also some other interesting approaches at work here that might make you a believer in the unusual as well.
.....
Ultimately, The Unusuals is an offbeat and compelling police series that offers a tantalizing blend of bizarre cases, eccentric characters, and an overarching mystery that seems to involve the secrets of every single character in the precinct.
Sounds good - I've got the first episode DVR'd and will post my thoughts in a bit.
Last, but not least, one more cop show that might strike your fancy - the new John Wells show Southland, premiering tonight. Former O.C. hunk Ben McKenzie stars, and is joined by , Tom Everett Scott, Kevin Alejandro, Shawn Hatosy and Michael McGrady, along with the always welcome Regina King.
Televisionary isn't as glowing in his reviews of this show, but if you feel like you need another gritty cop drama to go along with the eight flavors of CSI and Law and Order already on the air, it might not be a bad way to pass your time. Maybe it's another slow starter that might just grow on you as the season progresses.
Now THAT'S what I'm talking about. This week's episode was a vast improvement over the pilot episode of Dollhouse. I give it a solid A-. I hope that those of you out there who didn't like the pilot give this show a few more chances before you abandon it completely.
A lot of the questions that popped up in the first episode got answered, plus several of the things that annoyed me in the pilot were somewhat fixed as well.
This episode explored the relationship between Echo and her handler Boyd Langton. Watching the pilot, it was clear that Boyd was uneasy with the sinister nature of the Dollhouse, and that the former ex-cop was still very much ruled by his conscience. However, it was unclear why this seemingly moral man would consent to work for such an organization. Episode 2 answered that, as we saw just how deep the handler/doll bond goes. It's obvious that Boyd loves Echo, that he perhaps even sees her as a daughter-figure in his life.
The cruelest part is that this bond is what prevents him from leaving the Dollhouse, since to do so would require abandoning this woman to the wolves that clearly prowl the Dollhouse (particularly the cruel head of security, seen taunting Echo at the end of the episode). The other thing I found really affecting is the fact that while Echo can forget all the details of her engagements, Boyd does not have that luxury, and so must live with the knowledge of all the loves lost by Echo, all the terrible things she has done or had done to her, all the people she's been programmed to desire, and so forth. When she looks at him with those trusting eyes in her Doll-state, he knows that while he is in some ways her protector, he is also a part of the machine that holds her captive.
This week's episode had Echo on the run, as a client hired her under false pretenses, in order to trick her into being his prey in a recreation of "The Deadliest Game of All". Intercut with this plot are scenes from 3 months prior, where Alpha freaks out and slaughters a whole bunch of people on his way out of the Dollhouse. We learned the term for when a doll begins to retain elements of an imprint ("compositing"), and at the end of the episode we see that Echo may be on her way to a composite event of her own. The two stories dove-tailed nicely at the end, as it's revealed that Alpha had a hand in setting Echo up for this encounter (helping the client fake his way through the Dollhouse's background check and hiring a killer to hold up the rescue team). I liked the suggestion of the
reviewer over at i09.com that Alpha may be intentionally trying to provoke Echo into retaining memories via trauma, in order to get her to freak out much like he did.
The scene of the week goes to whoever played the male doll at the beginning of the episode. He did a great job communicating the sheer terror the dolls were experiencing, as their child-like minds struggled to process the Very Bad Thing they knew was happening.
Things we learned this episode:- While the dialogue between Topher and Echo felt stilted and weak in the first episode, this episode helps clarify that it's intentionally awkward, as the dialogue is part of a "call and response" pattern that allows the imprint to fully take in the doll's mind. This lead to a great, totally creepy scene where we see Boyd reading a script to Echo designed to imprint her with an undying trust in him.
- Alpha is the one who gave Amy Acker's character, Claire, those nasty facial scars. Claire also believes that Alpha was shot dead while trying to escape, so look for future trauma for this character when she finds out that the man who made mincemeat out of her pretty face is still on the loose.
- Alpha also murdered a bunch of dolls on his way out the doll, but specifically spared Echo's life (we see a disturbing scene of her coated in blood in the shower, surrounded by cut up dead bodies).
- In their default state, dolls are completely helpless and cannot defend themselves. Boyd asks the obvious question, "Why not just imprint them with ninja personalities?" only to learn that the Dollhouse tried that, and it resulted in violence and death as the dolls apparently turned on each other.
Agent Paul Ballard continues to be dreamy this week. He has a next door neighbor that clearly appreciates said dreaminess, though he shoots down her invitation to sample her lasagna (and no, that's not a euphemism... except maybe it is, if the look on the neighbor's face was any indication). Tragically, Tahmoh Penikett's shirt stayed on this week, but thankfully there were no more awkwardly staged kickboxing scenes. I'm hoping Ballard will have more to do in the coming weeks. Since he now has Alpha feeding him information (the picture of Caroline appeared on his desk this week), plus a follow up session with the goofy Russian mobster scheduled as well, I suspect he'll be getting much closer to the truth soon enough.
Things I want to know moving forward:- More background on Boyd please. What is his family situation? For example, does he have real daughters of his own? What in his past drives his bond with Echo in the present?
- Just how many dolls are there at the Dollhouse? How many have been killed in the field? How many did Alpha kill?
- Why did Alpha choose to spare Echo? Did he know her prior to them becoming dolls?
- Is Alpha packing one particular imprint, or an amalgam of imprints?
When CBS's sitcom
How I Met Your Mother first appeared on the scene, I tuned in for the first episode, but ultimately it didn't capture my heart. Perhaps it was the traditional sitcom-y feel of the show at a time when I was reveling in the new comedic stylings of shows like The Office that turned me off. Maybe it was that the show's first dramatic arc - Ted's maybe romance with Robin - fell flat for me, because hearing a character talk about "the girl of my dreams" when you KNOW she's not going to be the titular Mother in the end doesn't hold any tension for me (rather, it seemed a season or two of Ted/Robin romance was something to be endured while we waited for the real contender to show up).
Nevertheless, I didn't watch the show. However, everytime it would get mentioned on a blog, or when I'd scan the occasional recap, I'd get wind of some of the jokes and the ways the characters' plots were moving along, and I'd think, "That
does sound like a show I'd like." I had lots of friends online encouraging me to watch the show as well, and they were people who seemed to have corresponding tastes to my own.
Finally, I got word that Lifetime was re-airing the series, showing two episodes every Monday night, starting with the pilot and moving forward. So I finally broke down and set my DVR to record it. And you know what? My friends were right - this is a delightful little show, and I'm happy to be watching it.
I'm opening the floor to all you good folks out there on Teh Interwebz. What show do you wish more people were watching? Specifically, which shows do
I need to be watching? I promise to give them a fair shake. I know that a certain Mr. S out there is going to push Friday Night Lights on me, so that one's pretty much covered (season 1 is in my "watch instantly" queue already).
I'll start the conversation. It pleases me that I'm finally able to recommend
Fringe to you all, which has seen a huge leap in quality over the past 4 episodes or so. Thus far they've avoided hooking up Peter and Olivia, which is nice, because I'd like to see a show where a male and female lead can be friends without the show forcing them together. Anna Torv is finally winning me over and showing me why Olivia might just be the right woman for this job. And I continue to absolutely
love John Noble as Walter Bishop, who steals the best lines every single week (now if only they'd give the other regulars, like Astrid, something more to do).
I also am enjoying the fact that unlike other shows (*cough cough* LOST *cough cough*) that create false tension by having characters inexplicably hold out critical information from their friends, the characters on Fringe actually seem to realize that
sharing information is what normal people do. Like, if I were seeing visions apparently inherited from my maybe-dead fiancee, I'd probably go ahead and mention that to my friends as well. In another nice twist, the characters seem to be getting more and more non-plussed by the monster of the week. That's good, because again, if I saw a huge alien slug growing in a guy, mind melded with my comatose fiancee, and saw a woman with a fully functional biotic arm, after awhile, I wouldn't be shocked by anything, such as the lizard monster from a few episodes ago. And the latest episode this past week was a real stand out, with the mysterious Pattern
finally starting to make a little sense and Olivia's role in the endgame finally starting to become more apparent.
Moving on, I'm sad more people aren't watching
Damages on FX, because Glenn Close is giving the performance of her life in that one. The only problem with the show (and the reason its audience can only continue to shrink) is that it
demands that you watch every single episode. I'm not joking here - to miss even a lone episode is to miss crucial information that will mess up the rest of the season for you. That kind of show is difficult to get people to buy into (also, the fact that one of the main dramatic plots involves whether or not Ted Danson's billionaire dumped stock in his company because of insider info isn't exactly one that grabs your interest right away doesn't help either). Nonetheless, the first season was super rewarding for me as a viewer, and season 2 is just as good so far. I recommend you go out and rent just the first disc from Season 1 at your local Blockbuster (or via Netflix). I'd be surprised if you weren't hooked by the end of episode 2.
To help guide your recommendations, here's what I'm watching right now.
Shows I love and never miss: Damages, Battlestar Galactica, The Office, 30 Rock, Dexter, Mad Men, and now Fringe
Shows I watch, but with less fervor: Ugly Betty, How I Met Your Mother, The Closer, Reaper
In other TV talk, via Whitney Matheson at Pop Candy, here's a little tip on a show populated with awesome "Hey It's That Guy!" actors (including the always welcome Jane Lynch and Ken Marino):
Party Down
The most high-profile entry is the new Office spin off that isn't a spin off, called Parks and Recreation. P&R stars the always excellent Amy Poehler, along with Aziz Ansari and Rashida Jones (the yummy Karen from The Office, though she's playing a new character here). Early reviews are mixed, but with a cast this great and a producing staff like this, I'm in for the long haul. Remember that The Office took almost 15 episodes to really find its groove. After all, Baby Mama was a terrible script with a weak central story, but Amy Poehler's performance went a long way towards making it a film I wanted to watch more than once (and I have, and she's still awesome the second time around).
The first 4 episodes of Better Off Ted have already aired, but if you missed it, you can still catch up on ABC's website. Seriously, this charming little show is laugh out loud funny most of the time, and it's still in its infancy. Portia di Rossi totally steals the show as Ted's ice queen boss Veronica (the scene of her assessing a line of children at the company daycare facility for a child cute enough to be her protege is particularly hilarious), but the rest of the cast also performs admirably. This week's episode dealt with the subject of race, and knocked it out of the park (Central plot: the new motion detectors installed by evil corporation Veridian Dynamics refuse to register the presence of black staff members, whose skin can't reflect enough light to make the sensors work. The company's solution? Hire white minimum wage workers to follow all the black employees around to open the doors and make the drinking fountains work. Hilarity did indeed ensue.).
New show Harper's Island sounds like it should be awesome. It's a cross between Survivor and Agatha Christie's 10 Little Indians. Basically, a group of friends and family have arrived on the private Harper's Island for a wedding, but a serial killer is on the loose. Over the course of the show, the killer works his way through the island's occupants, with the show promising that a cast member will die every week. It stars Christopher Gorman, who I've loved in all his other roles (Ugly Betty, Popular, Jake 2.0). It's the kind of show that's fun if you're watching with friends and essentially playing along at home trying to figure out who the killer is before the big reveal. Reviews are mixed for this, but if you follow zap2it.com's 10 handy tips for enjoying the show, it might just be the kind of sweet televised confectionary treat to start your spring off right. Also, even if you hate some of the characters, you can enjoy the thrill of seeing them brutally murdered at some point!
A new cop drama premiered last night called The Unusuals. Normally, I'm not thrilled to see the TV schedule cluttered with yet ANOTHER cop show, but in this case, I may make an exception, due to the excellent cast assembled here: Amber Tamblyn (loved her in Joan of Arcadia, curious to see how she does playing an adult for once), Harold Perrneau, Adam Goldberg and Jeremy Renner look like they might be a lot of fun to spend Wednesday night with (consider the show a nice chaser to go along with your dose of Lost for the week). Jace over at Televisionary has good things to say about this show:
Last, but not least, one more cop show that might strike your fancy - the new John Wells show Southland, premiering tonight. Former O.C. hunk Ben McKenzie stars, and is joined by , Tom Everett Scott, Kevin Alejandro, Shawn Hatosy and Michael McGrady, along with the always welcome Regina King. Televisionary isn't as glowing in his reviews of this show, but if you feel like you need another gritty cop drama to go along with the eight flavors of CSI and Law and Order already on the air, it might not be a bad way to pass your time. Maybe it's another slow starter that might just grow on you as the season progresses.
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