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Emmy's 2010

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:36:00 +0100

In case you are interested in American TV's most prestigious awards show, the Emmy's took place last night and you can see all the winners right here : http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2010/08/29/2010-primetime-emmy-awards-winners/20100829atas01/

The Emmy's are voted on by a specifically chosen group of people who either work or used to work in television. They don't always see all the TV on each season and the awards are given based on seeing only one submitted episode from the actors and shows. This system can often lead to anger amongst TV critics but last night's results were surprisingly fair according to Alan Sepinwall who knows a thing or two about it http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/emmy-analysis-bring-on-the-new-blood

I don't watch all the shows but I wanted to comment on a couple of winners:

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
ERIC STONESTREET as Cameron Tucker ABC Modern Family

I have absolutely no problem with this one. Cam was the most consistently funny character on Modern Family. The character is often very broad but Stonestreet plays him with unquenchable enthusiasm and heart.

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
JIM PARSONS as Sheldon Cooper CBS The Big Bang Theory

This was a big surprise to me but is absolutely the right result. Parsons was up against Larry David, Steve Carrell and Alec Baldwin amongst others. I would say none of them was as consistently funny as Sheldon this season. But more than that, Sheldon is a wonderfully written comic creation that takes what could be an average show and more often than not turns it into something really funny. His performance is so consistent and so nuanced that he richly deserves this recognition. It clearly meant a lot to him too which was lovely to see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8KJ7bqctZ0

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
AARON PAUL as Jesse Pinkman AMC Breaking Bad

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
BRYAN CRANSTON as Walter White AMC Breaking Bad

You won't be surprised to learn that I wholeheartedly endorse these two as winners in the drama category. I of course would have chosen Breaking Bad ahead of Mad Men or Lost or indeed anything else as the best drama on TV. The show is written with an intensity, a focus on characterisation and sense of consequence that no other show (that I watch) has right now. These two men are superb in their roles; nuanced, believable and powerful.

I don't watch enough TV to really argue strongly for or against the other awards and the short lists. But in a theoretical awards show I might have wanted to find an award for Josh Holloway who I think will always be underrated for his performances on Lost. I would have given an award to the episode of Community called "Modern Warfare" which was an exceptional piece of writing, directing and producing. I would liked to have given an award to Spartacus: Blood and Sand for doing a better job than Prison Break ever did of showing how a drama in a confined space can be completely addictive (and for recovering from such a poor start).

Other Reviews

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:42:00 +0100

Hey everyone,

As you probably know, there are some shows I write full reviews for and some I don't. Some of the shows I do write full reviews for I am stuck with and probably don't need the full treatment anymore (Family Guy, Entourage). Many shows exist which I would like to write full reviews of but for various reasons I can not (Breaking Bad, Dexter, Community etc).

One day I would love to be able to write full reviews of everything I watch but until then I am going to continue with this blend of reviews. But I have decided not to stick the smaller reviews in the Blog section anymore, instead I am creating a section called "Other Reviews" where each episode will get its own page. This means that the reviews will appear in the main feed and should create several advantages for all of us.

It means I will be able to start giving scores out of 100. Though don't take them too seriously as without a full review of the whole show I will be prone to make more misjudgements. It will allow you to more easily comment on the episodes you are interested in which will help me understand what you are watching. If the comments get really interesting then I may be able to put them into podcasts as I do with other shows.

It also means I will be able to put up a picture from that episode to accompany the review which should be fun (as the above example amply demonstrates).

So the blog section will go back to being a place for me or you to write about and discuss more general things about TV.

I hope you enjoy.

Robin (The TV Critic)

Lost - The New Man In Charge

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:47:00 +0100

Lost - The New Man In Charge

If you haven't seen the epilogue to Lost yet I suggest you go find it now. The extra ten minutes doesn't tell us anything we couldn't have guessed but is pleasant enough and perfectly welcome.

In case you missed anything the "answers" which were provided were:

- Why and how the food pallet drops continued.

- The origins of the "Hurley bird."

- Why Pierre Change had to keep using fake names.

- What Room 23 was created for.

- A potential explanation for the fertility problems on the island.

- A little more detail on the polar bears.

The epilogue also provided a happier ending for Walt which was nice. These answers are nice to hear but none of them change my perception of Lost. The show remains both great and disappointing in my mind.

Watching the epilogue once more hooked me and made me stare at the screen intently. Lost always had that power over me and that's what made it so great. Having spent hours raking over why the show didn't fulfill its promise I have no desire to think about that again right now.

Check out the epilogue and say goodbye once more.

Catching up on True Blood and Mad Men

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:51:00 +0100

Hey everyone,

It's good to be back. Obviously I will be checking out lots of new shows and trying to catch one or two I missed from last season. But for now I have just been watching three of my old friends "Entourage", "Mad Men" and "True Blood."

Entourage is lucky to get the full review treatment from me and so you can see my full thoughts on their seventh season elsewhere.

Mad Men, Season 4, Episodes 1 - 3

So far the new season has been heavily Don focussed and I have enjoyed it a lot. Single, alcoholic, desperate and now in an underdog company, I have never found Don more easy to sympathise with. Of course the dark side of him is still very apparent but without his marriage around he seems like a more relatable character. His behaviour is more transparent perhaps and he attempts to gratify his own needs and escape loneliness while also bearing the creative weight of a whole company.

What Mad Men does really well is bring out emotionally poignant moments in office interactions. Don's seduction of Alison was so sad and such a bad idea for both. It shows how lonely Don is becoming that he would make such a foolish decision. It goes against his own past behaviour where he turned down Peggy's advances and became furious at Roger for sleeping with Jane. Then there was Lane Pryce letting his hair down and being silly with Don. The poignancy came not just from his marital breakdown but his admission that no one at work really liked him. He's an irresistibly sympathetic figure to me (as a fellow Brit) and his drunken exclamation while watching Godzilla was hilarious - "This movie's very good!"

But best of all in a way was Lucky Strike's Lee Garner Jr humiliating Roger for his own amusement. Roger was once a semi-equal. A fellow rich boy running a big company. But now Roger is hopelessly dependent on Garner and they both know it. So Garner forces him to dress up as Santa and metaphorically dance around for his pleasure. It was such a simple idea but which brought out so many thoughts and feelings about life, business, power and dignity both in the 1960s and today. Another of Mad Men's great strengths is that ability to make the viewer look at their own world and see how far or how little things have come in fifty years.

True Blood, Season 3, Episodes 1 - 6

I tweeted that "True Blood sucks" upon my return. That is of course an over simplification. Many TV critics found themselves writing pages and pages about Glee last season. Many of those critics didn't like the show that much but found the need to comment extensively on its cultural impact. True Blood is a bit like that for me. I am constantly surprised by how such a wasteful, inconsistent and poorly characterised show can have so many admirers.

This season has been full of stuff I don't like.

- Last season's town-wide orgy has been quickly forgotten and ignored despite so much destruction and disturbing immoral behaviour.

- The show continues to introduce new contextless characters for each of the main characters to interact with. In other words Sam, Jason, Tara, Sookie and Lafayette all have new love interests \ kidnappers \ protectors \ families to deal with within one or two episodes. As I have said repeatedly, what bothers me is the obviously temporary nature of these characters. They are given flimsy introductions and character development, making it clear that like Eggs, Maryann and Daphne they will be gone by the season's end.

- The obsession with gore, violence and sex continues. I have no problem with any of it if it serves a purpose. But having just seen some kind of torture porn scene where two were-wolves feed on a tortured Bill I am as convinced as ever that the gore doesn't serve a purpose. Bill isn't going to die and so his grotesque makeup job feels more like an attempt to suck in viewers who enjoy the shock factor.

As you may know my real problem with True Blood is that I don't care about the characters. Even if she weren't so endlessly annoying Sookie continues to sound self righteous and walk straight into vampire-related danger without a hint of a plan. Jason is moral one week and selfishly corrupt another. Sam never gets to play a scene where he smiles and conversely Tara never plays a scene where she isn't screaming at someone. The show just assumes the viewer will automatically care about these characters yet we are given precious little to cling to.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of all is how little the show explores vampire mythology. As Lorena kills him, Bill gives a fascinating speech about the human she used to be and indeed the vampire who turned her into an instrument of misery. It's doubtful whether we will learn much more than that but the relationship between the humanity a vampire once had and their new nature is one which the show threatens to uncover but never does time and again. Eric remains one of the show's best characters because he behaves consistently. That consistency is his selfishness of course. This season it would seem he is destined to murder the King of Mississippi and save Bill and Sookie. But he has no love for them, it is his family's quest for vengeance which is driving him. The story which would be fascinating to explore is how much of Eric's humanity remained once he became a vampire. Similarly the other enjoyable story is seeing baby vamp Jessica glamour and feed on her customers. Her naivety and battle between being responsible and evil is interesting to watch. But I am left wondering if her story will just head toward mindless sex and gore rather than a genuine exploration of fantasy psychology.

The King himself has been a reassuring presence so far this season: reasonable but evil. His introduction as a character has been pure True Blood. He appeared with no explanation and no introduction yet as time has gone on more and more nuances and details have appeared. Perhaps that is one of the keys to True Blood's success, it does manage to keep hinting that bigger mysteries and answers will appear as time passes.

The final word goes to the star of the show Lafayette. He remains the most likeable and authentic character on the show. And in a show featuring endless perversions his flirtation with his mom's carer Jesus felt like the most believable interaction all season.

Lost - The End

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 11:44:00 +0100

Hey everyone,

This is the final Lost podcast I intend to do. I will comment on the DVD extras when they become available but for all intents and purposes this is it. I won't be involved in any rewatches and will be looking to new shows come September.

If there is anything, literally anything you have left to say about Lost, this is your chance. I will record this as a podcast on Friday 9^th July. You can leave me a voicemail on (001) 206-338-7832 or send me an audio file. Any decent tweet, facebook or email will get on the podcast too.

If no one has anything to say then I will just wrap things up and say goodbye. But if you want to comment on the show or the podcast or your experience of being a fan or anything, go for it.

You can find the podcast with the best moments under the fourth episode of season one (http://www.thetvcritic.org/casts/Lost_The_Best_Moments.mp3).

Robin (The TV Critic)

Lost - The Best Moments

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:21:00 +0100

Hey everyone,

This penultimate podcast is a chance for you to gush about what you loved about Lost. Below I have put my own personal favourite moments from the show and I encourage you to share yours.

I will record this as a podcast on Sunday 4^th July. You can leave me a voicemail on (001) 206-338-7832 or send me an audio file. Any decent tweet, facebook or email will get on the podcast too.

The following week will be a chance for you to say anything else you want to about Lost. Whether that be about the show itself or about your own viewing experience or life or podcasting experience etc. It will literally be a chance for you to contribute anything you like. I will write my final closing thoughts on the whole Lost experience and then I will be off on holiday hoping to avoid a plane crash and years of misery on an unknown island.

You can find the podcast for "The Unknown" under the third episode of season one of Lost (http://www.thetvcritic.org/casts/Lost_The_Unknown.mp3).

Robin (The TV Critic)

The Best Moment

In all my reviews I pick out the best moment. Sometimes it's the moment which had the most emotional impact on me, sometimes I will pick something which just showcases the excellence of the story being told. But on some level that moment is simply my favourite from the episode.

As I watch so much TV the moments that really stick with me are the ones that shock me or engage me so much that I forget everything except what I'm seeing. So here are my three "best" moments from Lost:

3. Desmond and Penny on the phone (Season 4, Episode 4, "The Constant")

One of the best standalone episodes the show ever produced. The writers ingeniously turn Desmond into Marty McFly and Daniel Faraday into Doc Emmett Brown and ingeniously use the flashback formula to create a whole new kind of time travel story. The writing and pacing are exquisite as Desmond goes from confused, to concerned to panicked as his fate becomes clear. The death of George Minkowski demonstrates graphically the fate awaiting Desmond if he can't stop jumping through time.

This is where Desmond's acting was second to none. He played his absolute desperation to get Penny's phone number beautifully and acknowledged how insane the request would seem to her. When he finally gets through to her they both play the emotion so well that this most ludicrous sounding love story never becomes cheesy but remains very moving. With different actors and writers this could have been awful, instead it was truly wonderful.

2. Jack recognises Desmond in the hatch (Season 2, Episode 1, "Man of Science, Man of Faith")

This episode was a masterpiece. There was real pressure on the show to keep the quality of season one going and it delivered big time. The revelation that there was a man living down in the hatch was a big game changer of course. But then the whole episode piled on the intrigue as first Locke, then Kate and finally Jack all climbed down and slowly discovered more and more about this strange subterranean structure.

Of course in flashback we also see an apparently unrelated story about how Jack met his wife. More than just his chance meeting with Desmond in the stadium though it's the surgery which Jack performs that underlines the clever storytelling. Jack has already experienced a 'miracle' and it's actually very similar to the one which convinced Locke that it was their destiny to be on the island.

That sort of crazy talk angered Jack. The idea that he wasn't in control of his destiny or that there was something which he couldn't understand bothered him deeply. Slowly he makes his way through the mysterious Swann station uncovering several of its dark secrets until finally he comes across Locke with a gun to his head. He is pretty much thrilled. He throws the destiny idea back in Locke's face. Despite the surreal surroundings you can tell Jack is relieved to see a man made structure and a lunatic with a gun. These are things he can understand and deal with. Until of course he recognises the gun man. Suddenly Jack can't hide anymore, maybe Locke was right after all.

1. Ana Lucia cries in Eko's arms (Season 2, Episode 7, "The Other 48 Days")

An episode which shattered all my preconceptions about what Lost was capable of. It was such a daring move to feature none of the main characters but instead focus entirely on our new arrivals. The intensity of their torment at the hands of the Others was so gripping and at the centre of it was Ana Lucia. You could see the stress wearing down on her as she channelled her anger at what was happening into a determination to survive.

She walks up a tall hill with Goodwin, one of the people she has come to trust and lean on. Slowly but surely she has worked out that he is one of them and responsible for her sorrows. She kills him and a short while later tells Bernard that this is it. There is no rescue coming, there are no other survivors, this is their life now. That realisation finally gets her to let go and she weeps into Eko's arms.

It was utterly compelling storytelling and it's possible that no other moment on TV has ever made me sympathise more with one character than that.

The Best Season

Sadly the predictable answer is Season One. In a way of course Season One had the advantage over every other season because the audience knew nothing at that point. Every revelation was going to be a surprise and every walk into the jungle could expose the next exciting event. But even with that advantage Season One was an awesome achievement. The quality of the episodes never dipped for more than one and the acting, writing and pacing was exceptional.

Season Two started brightly but then began to stumble, recover and then stumble again. It was a pattern which would repeat throughout Seasons Two and Three. In between excellent episodes there were duds. Characters second or third flashbacks began to feel irrelevant and the Others became less and less other. Season Four kick-started the end of the show now that the end date was in sight. We'll never know quite what might have been thanks to the writers' strike. At first glance the season was very strong with a string of excellent episodes and the flashforwards recapturing that Season One sense of discovery. But the lack of explanation or payoff as to what the freighter was doing there and a feeling that knowing so much about the future was making the present less interesting took their toll.

Season Five was a mixed bag in the end. The time travel story seemed endlessly intriguing but raised far more questions than it answered. The return of the Oceanic Six was very disappointing and the season ended too hastily with the characters agreeing to detonate a nuclear bomb on somewhat flimsy reasoning. But we now got the answers we had been asking for as Jacob and the Man in Black came out from behind their respective curtains. Sadly Season Six never got going, the flashsideways being even more of a handicap than the flashforwards had been. So in the end Season One wins it easily but don't let that take away from its enduring quality.

The Best Episode

Unsurprisingly my favourite episodes are the same as my favourite moments. I did give a very high score to the Season Five finale which was controversial even to me. But that episode paid off the major mystery of the show answering the question of whether or not there was any kind of all encompassing answer to the show's mysteries. And there was, the revelation of Jacob and MIB's involvement as puppet masters was the major answer to the show's questions and I felt the producer's deserved credit for paying that off. But in terms of individual episodes I wouldn't put it up there with:

Season 2, Episode 7, "The Other 48 Days"   - 92/100
Season 2, Episode 1, "Man of Science, Man of Faith"           - 87/100
Season 4, Episode 4, "The Constant"                                     - 85/100

It is worth looking at the "honourable mentions" though:

Season 1, Episode 4, "Walkabout" - 86/100

Make no mistake; this could arguably be the most important episode of Lost ever made along with the pilot. So many fans became hooked when Locke began wiggling his toes. The mystery of why this bald box salesman was behaving so strangely in the jungle became genius with one brilliant twist.

Season 3, Episode 22, "Through the Looking Glass (2)" - 86/100

The flashforward was a big format change and once more changed your perspective on what exactly Lost was capable of. But also remember Charlie's sacrifice under the sea which was also compelling viewing.

Season 3, Episode 20, "The Man Behind the Curtain" - 84/100

Sympathy for Ben and an invisible Jacob, nuanced characterisation mixed with bold science fiction revelations.

Season 3, Episode 19, "The Brig" - 83/100

Sawyer and Locke's personal tragedies combine and the growing sense of the murder which is about to happen was epic stuff.

Season 4, Episode 11, "Cabin Fever" - 82/100

A sometimes forgotten but quite brilliant episode showing us John Locke's upbringing and growing sense of destiny.

Season 1, Episode 8, "Confidence Man" - 82/100

An underrated episode which carried off the unexpected but tragic story of James Ford and why he wants everyone to hate him. Excellent writing and strong acting.

The Best Character

I think this has to remain who is your favourite character rather than branch off into an actual debate contrasting the characterisation in the show.

With that said:

1. John Locke

It's difficult to look past the man who believed that this plane crash was his destiny. He was so much fun to watch no matter what he was doing. He managed to be infuriating and foolish but remain ultimately sympathetic.

2. Mr Eko

The other man of faith was almost as compelling as Locke. Unlike John he was strong and held fast to his convictions. His slow burn performances were wonderful to watch.

3. Desmond Hume

Quite how he does it I don't know. But it's hard to think of a more likeable character than Desmond. No matter how many women he jilted or drunk and foolish he got he remained the ultimate sympathetic hero throughout.

4. Sayid Jarrah

Ditto, despite the torture and murder he remained the sympathetic romantic. Part of his appeal was his logic. No other character kept talking about escape from the island more than Sayid.

5. Jack Shephard

Everyone it seemed got sick of self righteous, uncommunicative, angry Jack. But that also made him seem like a real person, warts and all he was the right man to lead others and was heroic throughout including of course in death.

I was huge fan of Daniel Faraday's unique performances, I think Hurley could have been involved in more serious stories and pulled them off just fine and Sawyer of course I thought was excellent throughout. I could also happily have seen more of Keamy, Tom, Michael, Juliet and Jin's father J

That's that from me, what do you guys like?

Lost - The Unknown

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 21:12:00 +0100

Hey everyone,

Below is the list of remaining Lost mysteries or unanswered questions. A while ago I went through "The Unknown" section of all my reviews and compiled a list. Now I have removed all the questions which I think the show reasonably answered. So the smoke monster, the whispers and the Others speaking Latin have all gone. But what is left is still a significant list.

I recommend you check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luXl7AnGpKw if you have a few minutes. I don't "agree" with a lot of its questions but I think it captures the essence of how many questions remain in a fun way.

I would love your comments on whether some of these mysteries have been solved or whether I have missed anything. I will record this as a podcast on Sunday 27^th June. There may not be much call for voicemails on this one but you are very welcome to (001) 206-338-7832. Or send me an audio file or a tweet, facebook or email.

Next week will be a chance to pick out your best moments (and best seasons, episodes, characters etc) and then we will have a final wrap up. You can find the podcast for "The Bad" under the second episode of season one of Lost (http://www.thetvcritic.org/casts/Lost_The_Bad.mp3). At this stage I can only add a new podcast if it is connected to a review which is slightly annoying, but never mind.

Robin (The TV Critic)

101 - Pilot (1)	How exactly did any of them survive the impact of a plane crashing into a beach?
110 - Raised by Another	Did Richard Malkin really have a psychic experience? Did he really know what would happen to Claire? Was there significance to her dream where Locke's eyes were black and white?
114 - Special	What are Walt's powers? Where do they come from?
118 - Numbers	What are the numbers? Why are they on the hatch? Who broadcast them from the island and why? Do they really have the power to curse, how and why?
122 - Born to Run	What is it Walt sees or feels about the hatch?
125 - Exodus (3)	Why does the monster try to drag Locke away? Why does Locke now look afraid of the "monster" (In 104 he seemed happy to see it)?
201 - Man of Science, Man of Faith	What are the injections for? How did Walt appear in the jungle and why is he talking backwards?
207 - The Other 48 Days	Why is there a quarantine sign on the Arrow station? How do the Others judge who good people are?
209 - What Kate Did	Sawyer suddenly grabbing Kate and asking why she killed him is a very weird moment. It is implied that he was "possessed" somehow by Wayne or indeed that Kate somehow imagined the whole thing. But if that was the case then how did Sawyer fall on the floor? What is the black horse?
212 - Fire + Water	Did Charlie's dreams mean anything?
215 - Maternity Leave	What does the vaccine do? Why does the vaccine have the numbers on it?
217 - Lockdown	The blast door map in general. Why did Radzinski make it? Why make it invisible? Who came up with the name Cerberus?
218 - Dave	Why was Libby in Santa Rosa? Did she know Hurley back then?
220 - Two For The Road	Was Ben really coming to get Locke? What is the nature of the Other's morality?
223 - Live Together, Die Alone (1)	The bird who says Hurley
224 - Live Together, Die Alone (2)	What happened when the sky went purple? Was the Pearl station a complete waste of time for its inhabitants? Did no one ever read their work or was there once something or someone where the tube is?
306 - I Do	Jack wasn't on Jacob's list. Who was? We saw Ethan and Goodwin instructed to make lists (301). What is the difference between their lists and Jacob's?
307 - Not In Portland	Why does the island destroy women's wombs?
311 - Enter 77	Klugh is willing to die in order to avoid being captured and Mikhail seems to want to die before giving anything away. What are they protecting? What is the ultimate purpose of the Others on the island?
313 - The Man From Tallahassee	What is the magic box Ben refers to? How did "it" bring Cooper to the island and why?
315 - Left Behind	How did the Dharma Initiative learn what kind of fence would guard against the smoke monster?
316 - One Of Us	How can Ben cure cancer? We had assumed the island itself healed people (219), is that not the whole picture? Why should Juliet have faith in Jacob and does she?
319 - The Brig	Why does Richard claim that fertility projects are a novelty? What is the work he thinks the Others ought to be doing?
320 - The Man Behind The Curtain	What is the grey powder which is in a line on the ground near Jacob's cabin?
322 - Through the Looking Glass (1)	Why has Ben been blocking communications from the island?
401 - The Beginning of the End	Why can Jacob's cabin suddenly move around the island?
402 - Confirmed Dead	Where does Miles get his ability from?
403 - The Economist	Ben's secret room full of money and passports raises questions about what he has been doing off the island and what for.
405 - The Constant	Why is Desmond Daniel's constant and when did he write that?
406 - The Other Woman	Who does Juliet "look just like"? Why do the Others want Juliet to kill Daniel and not want to do it themselves?What is powering all the Dharma stations?
408 - Meet Kevin Johnson	What are the origins of the Temple?
409 - The Shape of Things to Come	Who was really responsible for Nadia's death? What are the rules?
411 - Cabin Fever	How did Matthew Abaddon know what to tell Locke to get him to the island?
413 - There's No Place Like Home (2)	Why does the Orientation video rewind when Locke is trying to watch it?
414 - There's No Place Like Home (3)	How exactly did Ben know to blow a hole in the Orchid chamber?
501 - Because You Left	Why aren't the Others moving through time? Why is Sun trying to kill Ben? We know that he was partly responsible for Jin's death (414), but how could she know that? She was on the helicopter and had no way of knowing that Ben stabbed Keamy to death without trying to save the freighter.
502 - The Lie	What is the origin of Hawking's underground lab? Who is attacking Hurley and Sayid?
505 - This Place is Death	What happened to Rousseau's crew when they went down that tunnel? Why was the donkey wheel "broken"? Was it because Ben wasn't supposed to activate it?
506 - 316	Why did some of the survivors go to 1977 and not others? Miss Hawking claims the island is always moving, yet Widmore's boat found the island seemingly static. Did the hatch implosion (224) somehow fix the island's location? Is that why Jacob wanted the island to move again (411)?
508 - LaFleur	What is the nature of the truce the two sides made?
511 - Whatever Happened, Happened	Amongst Cassidy's Sawyer bashing she doesn't mention the money Sawyer set aside for Clementine (in 304). Does she not become eligible to receive it until she turns sixteen or something like that? What exactly does young Ben remember? How will his innocence be gone? Why does that make him an Other?
512 - Dead is Dead	Was the temple-like passage which Ben uses to summon smokey present before the barracks were built? Or did he build it? How does pulling the plug summon the monster? What are the specific rules which Charles broke and who arranged his banishment?
513 - Some Like it Hoth	Who faked the plane crash? Who are the "Shadow of the Statue" guys?
516 - The Incident (1)	Did Jacob resurrect Locke when he hit the ground or was he just waking him up?
602 - LA X (2)	Why was the Temple water dirty? How does it heal people? Was it dirty when they healed Ben? What is Sayid now?
604 - The Substitute	What makes someone a candidate? Why do they get assigned a number? Why did Jacob never tell Richard about the candidates? How does Ilana know so much?
605 - Lighthouse	Who is "Wallace" the name at 108 on the dial? How did the Lighthouse get created and how did it work?
607 - Dr. Linus	Ilana seems to have been given a "Who's Who" of the island before she arrived. The way she addresses Miles is as if she read his biography on the back of a baseball card, which makes you wonder where she got her information from. She describes Jacob as being like a father to her which will need to be explained too.
608 - Recon	Who did kill the Ajeera passengers?
617 - The End (1)	Now MIB can finally leave the island would he still take evil with him? Or is that evil released because the light has gone out?
618 - The End (2)	Who \ how was the flashsideways created? A mystery I don't need answered.

Other TV 13 - 19 June

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:49:00 +0100

Party Down - 208 - Joel Munt's Big Deal Party

Meh. Another episode, same sort of stuff. Lydia taking cocaine and going crazy and thinking she's seeing famous people everywhere was incredibly dumb. It bothers me when a show is filmed in this modern "real" style and then they use such an old fashioned awful sit com plot. If you are going to look "real" then make "real" jokes. If you are going to use old school humour then why not bring back punch lines and actually make me laugh?

Breaking Bad - 313 - Full Measure

Another strong effort from a very strong season. As I don't write full reviews of Breaking Bad I often go straight to the broad analysis rather than the small details. That's a shame of course as there are so many things to compliment like Mike's deadly hit man routine here.

But in general what makes Breaking Bad so good is that it doesn't behave like other TV shows. People die, people suffer, people's actions have consequences, lies are told and are seen through. In this final episode the show walks the fine line between reality and TV show cliché like never before.

The problem with all big bad guys is the question of why they don't just destroy our good guys at the first sign of trouble. It always undermines the bad guy and reminds you that you are watching a drama where your character is protected from the harsh bite of reality. So here Walt literally has a gun to his head and has to plot the coldest of cold blooded murders in order to save his own life.

I'm not sure the cold reality of that really had time to sink in. Walt has no justification left. Although killing Gale will save his life, Gale has done nothing wrong. He is making the judgement that he would rather be a murderer than die. His life is more valuable than Gale's. That makes Walt the bad guy because a hero doesn't sacrifice innocent life to save his own. Not that I thought nor does Walt think that he is a hero. But so far he has always been able to look at his enemy and tell himself "they are worse than I am."

Jesse's terrific acting managed to carry off that story to a real emotional high point. And to some extent this is Breaking Bad sticking to its formula of not being just another TV show. Walt and Jesse disobeyed their boss and so he orders them to be killed. Consequences.

BUT and this is the big but, the writers gave themselves some wiggle room. The Cartel are back trying to reclaim their territory from Gus. And we learn that Gus' overheads are so big that he can't afford to shut down production. Now both are perfectly acceptable additions to the story. Indeed the Cartel are part of the plot already so that was no surprise. But why would Gus Frings the King of caution take on the Cartel in the first place? And why would he allow his overheads to become so big that his operation depended on one cancer sufferer?

They are the kind of flawed decisions which make you think maybe Gus is just another TV bad guy and that Walt and Jesse will find a way to wriggle out of their predicament and survive. It will be interesting to see what happens to Saul as well. He betrayed a hit man to protect his clients and surely there should be repercussions for that.

Alan Sepinwall interviewed the show's producer Vince Gilligan http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/interview-breaking-bad-creator-vince-gilligan-post-mortems-season-three which makes for fascinating reading. Gilligan admits he doesn't have a plan nor did he plot out this season in detail. To some extent that makes his achievement more impressive and is a fascinating insight into the process of writing a TV show. On the other hand it makes me worried that the show will go the same way Dexter has gone and lean on a formula instead of going for the jugular. I also don't know that Breaking Bad should survive more than another season. Unless some very clever writing is done, Walt and Jesse should not be able to survive Gus' retribution. Unless of course the Cartel come and wipe him out. Now there's a thought. Then surely they would want to know who had been making all the blue meth.

Lost - The Bad

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:22:00 +0100

Hey everyone,

Here is the report on the "Bad" in Lost as a whole. I will record this as a podcast on the weekend of 19-20 June. You have till then to add your own comments below, send me messages or voicemails to go into the recording. The week after that I will republish the updated mysteries list and we can talk about that. The week after will be a chance to pick out your best moments (and best seasons, episodes, characters etc) and then we will have a final wrap up.

You can find the podcast for "The Good" under the pilot episode of Lost. At this stage I can only add a new podcast if it is connected to a review which is slightly annoying, but never mind. http://www.thetvcritic.org/casts/Lost_The_Good.mp3

Robin (The TV Critic)

The Bad

A lack of curiosity

For anyone who has read my reviews, you know I don't like it when people on TV shows don't ask questions. It's my experience in life that people ask relentless questions when they don't understand something. Take someone who turns up to find their train isn't running as expected. Question question question. Moan moan moan. That's life, people chatter. They also like to gossip. They like to speculate. Now I know it wouldn't make for compelling television if an episode of Lost had been entirely centred on Rose, Claire and Hurley eating some fish and mangos and debating who Kate really fancied. But at the same time, a scene like that would have pleased me no end compared to scenes of characters stoically accepting their fate on "crap hole island."

In general though, the Lost characters had an awful lot of serious stuff to be curious about. Now ignore time travel and levitating smoke. Just go back to basic survival. Imagine you are stranded on a desert island and no one comes to rescue you. I think it's fair to say that a certain desperation, panic and misery might set in. It was never going to be easy for Lost to present a likeable group of characters if everyone was permanently scared and crying. Fair enough but their lack of what I would call "normal" reactions began to grate more and more as the seasons went on.

The discovery of Ethan and Rousseau and the abduction of Claire early on, did not have the kind of impact that they should have done. These stranded and desperate survivors should have been excited and scared beyond belief that there were other people living on the island, especially a clearly normal looking North American like Ethan. Here surely is a source of answers as to where they are and how they can get off the island. The lack of curiosity gets even worse upon the discovery of the hatch. Here is actual evidence of fellow Americans having lived, worked and used technology on the island. Again every survivor should have rushed down there to scour the place for signs of communication or clues as to where they were. It's easy to ignore some lack of reaction but characters like Kate and Charlie make specific reference to how little time they spent in the hatch.

It's actually easier to excuse the reaction of the survivors to supernatural occurrences to some extent. With no basis for comparison it's plausible that a person would ignore or deny impossible things happening before their eyes. But it still seemed mad that Jack saw Locke dragged down a hole by the Smoke monster (125) and then refused to accept anything that weird had happened. Later in season two (210) Charlie and Eko get a full minute long look at the monster yet we never see them telling anyone back at camp as you might imagine they would.

The longer the show went on the more things happened which received little attention. More Dharma stations, more smoke monster sightings, more meetings with Others, the sky turning purple, a man who never ages, time travel and resurrection. It was time travel which really bothered me. It's so unbelievable and hard to imagine that the lack of reaction from our survivors became harder and harder to swallow.

For a show with such a good grasp on its characters for so long this oversight always damaged the show. I understand that at some point these crazy incidents become a part of life and the characters would accept them. But for me there is no excuse for the lack of reaction. I don't see how it's any different than when a character has any other kind of emotional reaction within the narrative. If Claire gave birth to Aaron and shrugged and showed no reaction the show would be pilloried, but a shrug for time travel is ignored?

The Others and Juliet

Connected to this lack of curiosity is the existence of walking talking mysteries, the Others. Here are people who have chosen to live on the island and therefore must know at least fifty facts which our survivors would love to know. Even if those facts were just where the island was geographically or the best way to clean yourself when the soap runs out.

One of the central running sores in the show was when our survivors wouldn't take the opportunity to ask questions of the Others. I couldn't disagree more with the argument that if they had asked questions the show wouldn't have been able to run for six seasons. Utter nonsense as shown by the sheer amount of information (we later discovered) that Richard and Ben clearly didn't know. Questions didn't have to receive answers but by not asking anything our characters were further damaged.

This all might have been forgivable if it weren't for Juliet, the Other who came to stay. Jack claimed early on that she would reveal her secrets when she felt comfortable but that time never came. It seemed increasingly bizarre that she spent years living with our survivors and yet we never saw anyone quizzing her for answers.

Again it's more nuanced than just wanting to know what whispers or smoke monsters are. We see Ben explicitly asking Juliet to have faith in Jacob (406) and he clearly assumes she does. The Others are a group of people who have divorced themselves from civilisation. They have given up on their normal lives, given up their friends, families, careers and pass times. It's not unreasonable for the viewer to ask why. What is so important that they would give up their lives for? Although we have a vague idea we never really get a strong or convincing sense of it. For Juliet to never shed any light on this was frustrating and began to infiltrate the idea that the producers didn't have answers.

Again the argument has been made that the Others' beliefs are no different to our own world full of Christians and Muslims who have religious conversions and convictions based on things no one else can see. Again this would be more convincing if this weren't a bunch of very specific people not random individuals in the wider world. It also becomes difficult to take when these people are willing to kidnap, to blackmail, to terrorise, to imprison and to murder in the name of something which never gets explained.

The mysteries which did not pay off

What makes this argument particularly strong for a TV critic's mind is that many of these questions were built into the show in very significant ways. If the Others had been a permanently vague creation kept in the background you could argue that the producers owed us no answers. But instead Juliet, Ben, Richard and Charles in particular all became very important parts of the story.

Season three saw the Others society exposed to the viewer in a way which left far more questions than answers. Including Cindy, one of our survivors taking part in the judicial proceedings of the Others (309). Season four was built around the arrival of a freighter and the faking of the Oceanic plane wreckage. Season five saw the survivors having to return to the island together and then only some of them jumping through time as the island skipped. I would argue that none of these plot lines was adequately explained or resolved. As centre pieces of each season's storytelling I think that is pretty unacceptable. The producers liked to make light of certain details which the fans wanted explained but which they didn't see as part of their story. But in each of these seasons major details were built into the plot and satisfactory explanations were never given. They are black marks on the show's record. The producers are guilty of misreading and misleading their audience to some extent. I will get into specifics next week with "The Unknown." But for now let me remind you of Juliet's sister's cancer, Richard's role in leading the Others over the decades, Ben's time off the island and insistence on following the rules and Radzinski's map in the Swann station. All were presented as explicitly important details and moments yet were never adequately explored.

Season Six

The saddest thing for Lost was that for many fans they failed at the final hurdle. The producers gave us the real answer to the whole show in the final season. The flashsideways was from a continuity perspective entirely pointless. Detailed stories were devoted to each character which actually had no bearing at all on the plot of the show. The producers knew exactly how their fan base would react to these stories after five seasons of practise. So they do get the blame for deliberately fuelling their fans expectations and speculations only to admit that all those stories were irrelevant.

I don't see this act as a cruel betrayal but a fundamental misunderstanding on the part of the writers as to what a large section of their audience became invested in the show for. The producers clearly thought that Jack Shepherd or James Ford were intrinsically fascinating characters and that viewers would simply revel in seeing them presented in a different universe. But after conditioning its audience to piece together its characters lives from the past to the present to the future, many fans wanted the full story, not a new version of it.

Through season six the producers made it clear that the overall mythology of Lost was never their priority. They were more interested in the simple stories of each character. Redemption, hope and love were much more important to the producers than the interweaving continuity of what had been going on on the island. While that fundamental belief probably made Lost as good as it was, it also ended up leaving many fans feeling unfulfilled.

It's worth pointing out that the producers' good judgement rather deserted them on island as well as off it. The Man in Black's character was never as compelling as it could have been. The season was spent muddying the waters as to whether he was evil or just a bitter old man. In the end he was vanquished as you would expect evil to be but all season he remained vague and rather like Ben and Charles before him was a less enjoyable villain for the ambiguity which never paid off. Far worse was the treatment of Claire and Sayid who both became allegedly possessed and then managed to shake it off. In neither case did it do much for their overall story and again made you wonder if anyone had really thought it through.

The Rest

"The Cage matches" as they have become known, or some of the first six episodes of season three were a misjudgement. They rather turned Lost into something more generic where revenge and love fuelled the characters in a more predictable network drama style. They also exposed the Others as ordinary people with very ordinary emotions which killed off the terror that their bare legs marching silently through the jungle had once created.

The death of Artz and Frogurt and the presentation of Radzinski left me uncomfortable and annoyed. Both Artz and Frogurt's deaths were played for laughs, an emotion I couldn't relate to in otherwise innocent people. But in both cases the moral tone was that annoying people being killed is somehow acceptable. Not that the producers were trying to directly say that but it was a choice I was never happy with. Radzinski's presentation in a similarly dislikeable, brusque and unpleasant manner seemed to be needlessly pushing the audience to dislike him. In a show which did a good job of presenting morally ambiguous characters this seemed unworthy.

Walt's story was never satisfactorily resolved. The producers had a chance to wrap it up in season five and chose not to which was sad. Viewers understood that he would grow up too fast to play himself within the continuity but his mysterious "powers" were too super natural and intriguing to just be ignored.

Kate's character struggled to gain traction with many viewers. The contrast between her sweet empathetic side and her stone cold killer side was perhaps just too big to bridge. Her constant to-ing and fro-ing between Jack and Sawyer made a lot of sense (for her character) but again her behaviour didn't seem to be something viewers could easily relate to.

In the end Lost may have been a victim of its own success. In most TV shows mysteries are very easy to pick apart. Flashforward unravelled as soon as people began to respond ludicrously to the ludicrous. Prison Break became implausibly silly and 24 saw so many "normal" characters turn "evil" without warning that it went beyond cliché and into dogma. Whereas Lost was utterly masterful at feeding viewers enough information to make mysteries credible without giving the game away. That skill clearly built up unfair expectations in many viewers minds which the producers had never intended to create.

Take Daniel Farraday for example. Looking back his story was meant to be very simple. He was a man caught in a tragic time loop, destined to be raised by a woman who knew she would have to kill him. But instead of that simple tragedy being how he is remembered, he spawned a thousand questions. His role in Desmond's life, his relationship with Charles Widmore, his comatose ex-girlfriend, his memory lapses, his relationship with Charlotte, his actual role on the freighter, his time at Ann Arbour and so on. Instead of his death being a great tragic moment, many fans were left scratching their heads and asking whether he would make a comeback to address the "important" issues which his life had raised.

But in the end I come down on the negative side when it comes to what the producers wrote for the second half of Lost's run. By the time they sat down to write seasons four, five and six they knew full well what their audience was thinking and yet they continued to build mysteries which had little payoff. I think they made too many miscalculations and their final season in particular condemned Lost to being a show which never fulfilled its potential. Of course I hasten to point out how gloriously high its potential had been built but it still came up well short of it.

Now over to you...

Other TV 6 - 12 June

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:40:00 +0100

Breaking Bad - 312 - Half Measures

Another strong episode for this enduring show.

After years of watching TV you look for shows that can restore you to that childlike state when you believed you were seeing something really shocking happening. When you understand all the formulas and tricks of TV shows those moments become rarer and rarer.

This episode managed to provide two. You know Walt is going to survive until the end of Breaking Bad, but you can just about imagine Jesse's life coming to an end sooner. That's why I sat bolt upright when Tucco shoved his face into the gravel (202). Here he stands up to Gus Frings, something no one has ever done on the show. Jesse of all people shoved morality in Gus' face. Then of course in the final scene Jesse looks set to die and end his miserable life by taking on the two drug dealers. In both cases I didn't exactly think he would die. But I genuinely didn't know what would happen for a few seconds. Those moments are precious.

Walt's murders leave him and Jesse in quite a mess. Jesse pretty much has a death wish at this point. He has more money than he needs yet felt the need to sell drugs on the side for a thrill, now he wants to kill people for honour and morality. Honour and morality? This is a man who tried to get people in rehab to buy drugs from him. No, Jesse isn't morally shaken up. He wants to die. He wants this miserable existence to be over. He keeps looking for a way out. A way to feel something different. A way not to just be an employee doing a job.

As for Walt, I don't know. He killed two men to protect Jesse. He can justify it because they had just killed a child. But he has just crossed his employer. He is now going to have a hell of a time covering up his part in something which may forever have destroyed Gus' faith in him. I don't know where it's going but I can't wait to find out.

Elsewhere I like the way Skyler's motivation was written. Thinking of her own situation first (as humans do) she was not happy with the idea of looking a fool. She would rather be a criminal at this point than be pitied or lied to. Of course I loved the speech which Mike gave about his time as a cop. Those monologues are so effective and every time I hear one I think of Quentin Tarrantino. He popularized those scenes and he was right to do so.

Lost - The Good

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:34:00 +0100

You can find the podcast for "The Good" under the pilot episode of Lost. At this stage I can only add a new podcast if it is connected to a review which is slightly annoying, but never mind. http://www.thetvcritic.org/casts/Lost_The_Good.mp3

Hey guys,

So here is the first of my reports on Lost as a whole. I will record this as a podcast on the weekend of 12-13 June. You have till then to add your own comments below, send me messages or voicemails to go into the recording. Remember there are a thousand things you could say about Lost but I have just picked out the major good points which have occurred to me during my time analysing the show. Also remember that I am writing from a television critic's perspective, not a fan's.

If you think I am overstating things or just not giving a balanced critique, that is because this is "The Good" of Lost. The following week I will produce "The Bad" and redress the balance. The week after that I will republish the updated mysteries list and we can talk about that. The week after will be a chance to pick out your best moments (and best seasons, episodes, characters etc) and then we will have a final wrap up.

For now...enjoy.

THE GOOD

The Pilot

Few shows will ever have as strong an opening scene or indeed episode as Lost did. The shot of Jack rising to a tranquil looking beach and then turning to a scene of fiery chaos sucks you into the story like almost no other image could. Instantly it seems obvious what has happened and what must now be done. The first two episodes do a tremendous job of setting the show up as a tale of survival with dark science fiction hints being dropped in the background. The monster in the jungle and the French transmission both fire the imagination but don't overwhelm the simple human drama of a bunch of people surviving together.

From there you are spoilt for choice on good things to say about Lost as a show...

Changing your perspective

One thing which stood out strongly though as I began to write about the show was its reinvention. The show kept on changing your perspective as a viewer on what the show was really all about. First there was the monster in the jungle, then Locke being miraculously cured, then there is Ethan and the whispers, then there are Hurley's numbers and Desmond in the hatch. At each stage the viewer is forced to see the island as more than it was before. Then we learn that the Others are normal people, we see Desmond travel through time, we see Anthony Cooper arrive, we see the island move, we see people operating off the island, we see Jacob and the Man in Black and finally we see an afterlife. The show never stopped establishing a new identity for itself and managed to stay very fresh as a result. The producers seemed determined that Lost would never become a predictable show with a formula. Even the flashbacks were used to change the audience's perception of the story.

The constant reinvention and revisualisation of what the story was all about constantly kept viewers engaged and intrigued for all six seasons. So many other TV shows suffer because they attempt to keep their characters in roughly the same position for too long.

Emotions ahead of twists

None of those reinventions would have worked though without characters that people cared about. And the producers made sure that Lost was always focussed on relatable character emotions ahead of dramatic narrative twists. So when the characters finally blew open the hatch the backdrop was a major argument between Locke and Jack. When the Others attacked the tail section we saw fear and tears from Ana Lucia and company. When Sawyer finally killed Cooper he vomited from emotional turmoil. When Ben committed mass murder he closed Horace's eyes. Right down to "Across the Sea" where we glimpsed Jacob's childhood the writing always tried to show human beings having reactions which the audience would understand and empathise with. Those emotions were the key to getting viewers to enjoy, to invest and to understand the shows increasingly complicated mythology.

Casting, directing and writing

I think it's often ignored because it's too complex an idea to explain simply but everything which actors do on screen is a synthesis between the writing, the directing and the acting. No actor carries scenes on their own, just as great dialogue cannot be said by just anyone. So when giving credit to the great performances on Lost it is important to remember all the work which went into those moments.

But the reason I put casting as the first word in this section is that the choice of actors throughout Lost was exceptional. There were very few weak links in the chain when you begin to cast your mind over all the various guest stars. I was particularly struck by the choice of Others where Ethan, Goodwin, Tom, Klugh, the Sherrif, Eloise and Dogen to name a few all had a distinct or unique look to them. They all managed to convey a personality and well roundedness which smaller characters don't often produce on TV. But instead of drawing attention to the smaller parts I will just mention the major performers who stood out to me.

Often ignored Michael always emoted in a way I found relatable. Perhaps it was having seen him play happy go lucky parts before that his portrayal of a frustrated and anxious father seemed to come through strongly. Mr Eko had so much presence to spare and was able to go from deeply threatening to soft and gentle without seeming inconsistent. Juliet's nuanced performance always stood out once we saw her play her pre-island self. Her ability to play herself as both weak and emotional and strong and immovable was impressive. Ben Linus was constantly fun to watch because his idiosyncratic acting style made him look like a real quirky person. Desmond managed to convey a sense of goodness, a sense of honour that bonded you to him in a way which no other character managed. Finally Sayid was able to be likeable for most of the show which was no mean feat for a man who played cold logical killer with equal skill.

The final three I would single out are Jack, Locke and Sawyer. Jack always seemed like a well rounded human being. He was never the poster boy action hero he always played his flaws on his sleeve from very early on in the show. His ability to convincingly cry and play "emotionally overwhelmed" was used to good effect. Locke like Ben had an expressive face and unpredictable delivery which made him seem like a fully realised person and not an actor. He got to play so many different sides of two different characters and could sometimes produce spellbinding changes of emotional state. Finally Sawyer who I constantly felt was underrated because his emotions were played in pure box office style rather than more subtly. It may have been forgotten by now how good he was playing the brooding, unlikeable, arrogant con man who didn't want to be liked. Throughout his transformation into La Fleur he was able to play every emotion to its fullest oozing charisma and leaving you in no doubt as to what he was feeling.

The Format

The flashback was an established TV staple long before Lost of course. But its extension to fill half an episode was a great idea.

First off it aided characterisation hugely. The simple act of showing the characters back stories was very valuable but the flashbacks did so much more than that. It put the viewer in a unique position. We now knew more about the survivors than their fellow survivors did. This meant that every interaction became infused with more meaning for the viewer because we knew when a character was lying. We knew what a character was choosing to share with others and the significance of events and interactions for what they really were.

The flashbacks also avoided the island from becoming overexposed. The writers never had to set whole stories on the island because half of the narrative weight would fall back in the real world. This definitely helped keep the mystique of the island stronger for longer. And indeed the producers knew when to break from the format. The flashback became the flashforward and then the flashsideways to avoid becoming stale and to provide a new narrative twist. But also some straight flashbacks ran for half an episode or showed more recent events or just forgotten memories (215).

The Rest

The island jungle setting itself was absolute genius. From the beach camp no one could see very far into the island. Every time a character walked into the trees danger might be lurking round a corner. That constant sense of the unknown was built into the fabric of the show and of course gave it a unique look for television. The island also did the opposite and grounded or put limits on the show. We always knew that the mythology largely rested on the few square miles of the island. It couldn't expand outward into limitless global conspiracies as so many other shows have had. The island was hard to get to and hard to leave. There were only so many Dharma station, smaller islands and ancient ruins that could reasonably fit into one show. That sense of scale allowed the show to be both hugely intriguing but also within reach, making fans believe that it was possible to map every mystery and track down every incident.

For the majority of the show's run the producers preferred to create an episode which could stand on its own rather than let the overall arc dominate things. I believe firmly that the best television comes from episodes which tell a complete story in 40 minutes rather than ones which feel like just one piece of a larger tale. This kind of focus allowed characters to be fully realised, stories to be well told and the viewer given a complete and satisfying emotional journey.

The show's decision to cast many non-Americans was a wise choice to give the show an international appeal and inclusivity.

The use of parental issues as the emotional core for most characters was a theme which literally anyone could relate to.

The large ensemble cast allowed for many viewers to have multiple favourite characters while not getting tired of those they didn't like.

Now over to you...

Other TV 30 May - 5 June

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 11:21:00 +0100

Breaking Bad - 311 - Abiquiu

While watching Breaking Bad I got thinking about emotional investment. Lost's final season did little for me and I reflected on the fact that my two favourite dramas before Lost came on the scene both had bad final seasons (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Farscape). Now I can argue intellectually that all three had final seasons which were flawed in some way. But there must be a part of it which is just my emotional investment not being paid off. As a fan of a show you get invested in a certain story, a certain character, a certain tone, a certain dynamic. When the show begins to change from what you became invested in, it can leave you feeling bitterly disappointed.

To extend this idea further, how many times have you heard someone say "I loved (insert show name) in the first season but after that it got a bit crap." Now for some shows (Heroes anyone) that is a pretty fair statement. But more often than not a viewer likes the original setup of a show and when it changes they lose interest in the new dynamic. So what does all this talk of emotional investment and changing dynamics have to do with Breaking Bad?

Well I didn't have much of an emotional reaction to Abiquiu. Or at least no reaction of disappointment. It occurred to me during the episode that I have little in the way of emotional expectations for the show. I know Jesse and Walt really well now but neither is the hero of the piece. Nor do I think of Skyler or Hank as the hero either because of their placement in opposition to Walt and Jesse. Normally in a show with no obvious good guys you might lose interest as has been my relationship with Mad Men. But on the contrary the grey world of Breaking Bad I have remained invested and unemotional. Perhaps there is something there for other shows to learn.

So when Jesse buys drugs off Tomas and is shocked to fully realize his part in ruining people's lives - I didn't know what he was thinking. I'm not invested in Jesse as either a right or wrong-doer. So I am fascinated to see his reaction rather than anticipating what it should be. Similarly Gus' rather dark warning to Walt not to make the same mistake twice had me equally intrigued. Is he referring to Jesse? Or to Hank or something else? Again I am intrigued. Finally Skyler steps fully into the dark realizing the benefits which the money will bring her and ignoring the dangers and immorality. I'm now invested in seeing what happens to her but not emotionally disappointed by her decision.

It may not be a formula that it's easy to replicate but Breaking Bad has created such an intriguing web of misery that its final season has a good chance of pleasing rather than disappointing me. That is assuming of course that Season Four is its last.

The Legend of the Seeker - 101 - Prophecy

The show throws you into its universe without much context to relate to. Though the Lord of the Rings, Moses\Jesus similarities do provide some familiarity it would have been nice to set the show in some kind of context in relation to our world. That context would help us relate to Richard Cypher who is suddenly informed that he is the Seeker and has a destiny he was unaware of till now.

The major problem here is the lack of relatable human emotion. First off we don't know anything about Richard's life which would make us sympathise with him. By the end of the first episode his horse and his father have been brutally killed, his brother has betrayed him, he has attempted to commit murderous revenge, been mystically poisoned and had his whole life turned upside down. To really make us feel that level of upheaval we would need to see tears and anger and other emotions which Richard never supplies. Instead the only time he becomes really emotional is in search of immediate revenge on Fane. Revenge is the most generic of action movie emotions, difficult for an ordinary viewer to relate to, especially when an otherwise gentle person is stirred to brutality instead of shock and fear and misery as one might more easily imagine.

The Legend of the Seeker - 102 - Destiny

Part two continues the generic characterisation with Chase, Richard's brother, Fane and Darken Rahl all following archetypes rather than breaking out as something unique. Richard's sudden sword skills allow him to slaughter a large group of soldiers but the moment is devoid of drama. If his new abilities are just awakening then the direction really missed a trick in showing his surprise and delight at his new found skills. Otherwise it just seems like the gentle bridge builder just slaughtered a bunch of men without it having too much effect on him.

This uninspiring and generic two-parter does not mean Legend of the Seeker is a bad show or that is can't improve. Spartacus: Blood and Sand had a similarly poor start and turned into something very impressive. Interestingly Spartacus' nemesis Claudius Glaber was played by Craig Parker or Darken Rahl. But even in that pilot Spartacus showed immense passion for his wife and the injustice of his treatment by the Romans was easy to understand. Richard Cypher here comes across as bland and generic without characteristics which define him as anything special.

In a crowded TV market place shows do need to start with a bang and capture an audience immediately. Legend has failed to do that with me and though I may watch a few more the show has made it that much harder to entice me to reach its apparently stronger second season.

Party Down - 207 - Party Down Company Picnic
A very busy episode which neatly encapsulated lots of things I like and don't like about Party Down.

What I like
- This is another episode (after Steve Guttenberg's birthday) where the show had its team not working a function. I like the writers having this flexibility as it helps us get to know the characters as real people.
- Casey and Henry remain the glue which makes the show watchable. With Henry due to leave (now on Parks and Recreation) I wondered throughout whether he was going to ride off into the sunset with Uda.
- Uda's return was nice. I'm a big fan of sitcoms bringing back guest stars to create a real looking universe.
- A few gags worked nicely like Roman explaining that the reason he doesn't succeed in Hollywood is because he's too nice.

What I don't
- Ron is a nice guy who always gets crapped on. In principal he is a character I was never likely to enjoy watching. Seeing him get hit in the back, then in the crotch, falling for a crazy engaged woman and talked into planting drugs on Uda did not help the situation. There just isn't enough of a constitution to Ron to make him a great comedy character. If he refused to be immoral in the end then he would remain admirable. But instead he comes off as weak and pathetic. I can't laugh at someone like that, I feel pity.
- Similarly the old Cheers style plot of the Party Down crew being terrible at their jobs and then being mocked endlessly by Uda's crew doesn't work for me either. Am I supposed to laugh at "our" characters for getting upstaged by a bunch of ass holes?
- Megan Mullally finally gets something to play here as she learns to be a ruthless mom\manager. But seeing her turn from implausibly batty to suddenly immoral and grasping just didn't seem real. It's amazing that Party Down has had Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge and now Mullally essentially playing the same role and none of them has worked. I wish comedy writers would realize that Seinfeld's Kramer was a pretty unique creation and that randomly zany people aren't often that funny.
- Similarly implausible was Garland Greenbush, the overly rude and competitive jerk. Party Down has had far too many of these characters who stick out by their silliness. Rather like How I Met Your Mother, its jarring when you switch from very believable calm dialogue and then have a character playing a broad sit com stereotype.

Other TV 23 - 29 May

Wed, 26 May 2010 11:50:00 +0100

Breaking Bad - 310 - Fly

Another terrific episode. In producing such a minimalist episode the show demonstrates the mastery it has over its two main characters. I feel like I know Walt and Jesse so well now that seeing them do almost anything is fascinating. I found myself transfixed by the opening minutes as Walt chases the fly around the lab. But as the episode unfolded once more we were treated to the wonderful dynamic which the two share. Business partners, best friends, enemies, father and son, pain in the ass - they are everything to each other. Despite how much they annoy one another the writing finds ways to show how much they care for one another and how much they are dependent on the other for emotional support.

I also loved Walt's speech about how he should have died by now. Viewers knew he felt like this. When the doctor told him the good news about his remission he bloodied his fists in anger and frustration. His whole plan revolved around dying a hero leaving Skyler with enough money to always think back on him as a wonderful husband who did what he had to do for his family. Now he is living on and causing more and more suffering including to the marriage which he broke the law to serve.

We also know that in times of stress Walt slips into obsession to take his mind off his problems. We saw this again after his remission when he began trying to remove rot from his house and here it is the fly. Walt is smart enough too, to know that he and Jesse are almost in deeper danger working for Gus. At least out in the real world they had options to hide from the drug lords but now he knows he could be murdered in an instant and no one would know why or find out who did it. And of course the final word on this show is consequences. Walt shows his love for Jesse by telling him kindly that he should stop stealing meth or they will be in big trouble. In another show he wouldn't have noticed and the theft would have been a big point of drama. But in Breaking Bad actions have immediate and far reaching consequences and that's just one of the reasons it is a great show.

Party Down - 206 - Not On Your Wife Opening Night

I appreciated the idea of this episode, a farce within a farce. But I don't think it worked. None of the misunderstandings or mistaken identities were built up as having much significance and so the jokes didn't land. I know some of the overacting was by design but most of that also sucked me out of buying into the craziness. Roman making out with two people while tending bar crossed a line which the show often flirts with - where the waiters so abandon their jobs you would think they would get fired or reprimanded.

Other TV 16 - 22 May

Mon, 17 May 2010 10:44:00 +0100

Breaking Bad - 309 - Kafkaesque

Another terrific episode. So many things to like about this show and so many things to comment on. So little time.

Again the wide shots of conversations (Skyler-Ted in the house, Walt-Gus in the office) are so different to most TV shows. On a practical level they show you a whole room and the absence of cameras in it adding to the sense of reality. I also love the money laundering idea. One of the best things about Breaking Bad is how the drug trade is broken down and the viewer gets to see how it goes unnoticed in society. Those details are what build a sense that this is a real world we are watching and that adds so much to the emotional investment of viewers, even if they don't consciously think about it.

Walt and Jesse both have trouble dealing with their new status as employees rather than kingpins. Walt seems genuinely scared of Gus now but instead of getting out, he wants more work and more money. He then almost gets himself killed as if he needed to know he could still be in control (or out of it temporarily). Meanwhile Jesse doesn't seem to care about money or security. He is motivated by the desire to stick it to authority and society. He seems so content with being the "bad guy" that he tries to screw over his recovery group by selling them meth. That's an act so cruel and so callous that all the drama shows that allow bodies to pile up need to watch and see what real villainy looks like.

What makes that scene even more amazing is that Jesse just opened up to the group about his desire to do some kind of more satisfying work. In a fantastic scene he manages to hold your attention with a beautifully written story about making a box. He pours the simple emotion into that scene and is so true to his character. Yet the moral he seems to take from the story is that his life has been given over to drugs and he is not going to try and get out. It's the kind of characterization that makes Breaking Bad a very special show indeed.

Skyler too had an impressive scene where she outs Walt in an unusual way. This scene had me once more thinking of the show as a black comedy as you could see Walt's exasperation and fascination with her cunning lie. It also seemed like she was justifying what he did and giving him respect. But once more she stuck to her guns and pulled the rug out from under him - making it clear that she still (rightly) blames him for everything that has happened. Her breakup with Ted was sad; he played his desire for her in a really believable way, not wanting to make a scene but desperate not to get dumped.

The show continues to amaze.

Modern Family - 124 - Family Portrait

The jokes were once again slightly off but the sentiment was dead on. It's been a strong first season for Modern Family. It's a show with a huge depth of strengths to draw from which will keep it going for some time. I would simply offer the same advice I do for every show: find the reality, find the emotions, focus on one character at a time, build up jokes, sell them, milk them. Sometimes the show tries too hard to fit in all of its characters into every story. I think almost any of the characters is strong enough to carry a plot on their own. And the show would just feel more real if we didn't have odd couple interactions every single week.

But the show has done a great job of being a main stream comedy. And let's not forget Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant in all this. Their documentary \ interview style comedy idea is now a mainstay in (arguably) two of America's biggest five comedies.

Community - 125 - Pascal's Triangle Revisited

A middle of the road episode to end an up and down season for this highly promising comedy. Next season Community will go up against The Big Bang Theory which is a real shame because although both shows are good, it means Community may take a kicking.

To see Jeff the object of three different women's affections was an interesting move. Unfortunately I don't think it will go anywhere interesting. Despite some attempts the show has steered away from having the kind of soap opera style personal developments which are the hallmark of shows like Friends or The Office. You can see that clearly in this episode where Slater and Vaughn return to our screens and you could be forgiven for having forgotten they existed. Annie chooses to leave and then returns just as quickly. Britta admits her love for Jeff and somehow the moment passes into anticlimax.

My belief is that the show likes its formula too much to change. For Jeff to pick Britta or Annie would upset the dynamic of the show, where each week the cast can be moulded to fit whatever parody Dan Harmon has in mind. So I don't see this as a big cliff-hanger. Jeff already slept with Britta and immediately pretended that it hadn't happened, so what's to stop him doing the same now. I guess I have become a little cynical about Community because it looks like the character development hasn't been thought through as well as the parodies.

Parks and Recreation - 224 - Freddy Spaghetti

Where as I thought Parks nailed their season finale, right down to Mark and Leslie back at the pit. Leslie really does standout as an admirable character when she can make government bureaucracy look like heartwarming charity work. Seeing Ron switch from slashing the budget to demanding Leslie keep her job was excellent stuff.

Andy's naïve honesty kept things with April on hold, though I hope they don't try to drag that out for another season. Tom with a girlfriend worked really nicely. I could see his relationship with Lucy going great places both comedically and for his character. The little twist at the end with Ron sleeping with Wendy was good continuity and could also be fun.

This will be the last we see of Parks until 2011 which is a shame but hopefully the new budget cuts will drive a season worth of plots. And maybe, just maybe Parks will get to go on after The Office and win over some new fans.

Party Down - 205 - Steve Guttenberg's Birthday

If you know anything about Steve Guttenberg beyond his movie roles, I imagine this hit a whole different level. For someone who doesn't know any more about him this was ok. It's the same issue I had with the whole concept of Extras, if you as a viewer know that the celebrity is just pretending to be weird, then it negates all the comedy value. What was good was that Guttenberg was used to shine a light on the Party Down crew turning the episode into a more personal glimpse at their personalities than we are used to seeing.

I really enjoyed seeing Roman's work put to the test and improved. I liked how Roman was really too chicken to have his work read aloud and would clearly prefer to hide behind his hatred for the mainstream. Casey's attraction for Henry coming to the surface was really nicely written. His acting talent was brought to the surface subtly and then it became clear what had attracted her to him in the first place. I also absolutely loved the final line where Guttenberg claims that 9 out of 10 times talent will see you through. It left Henry to ask the personally poignant and perfectly Party Down encompassing question of "Yeah but what about that one guy?" It's moments like that that make me love TV shows.

Other TV 9 - 15 May

Tue, 11 May 2010 10:23:00 +0100

Breaking Bad - 308 - I See You

What every drama show can learn from Breaking Bad is how to write the consequences of people's actions. Despite this being a slow episode in certain ways, with lots of waiting around, the drama was still ever present. When Walt realizes why Hank was attacked we can see the guilt descend ever further onto his soul. And what an awesome scene that was when the now legless cousin sees Heisenberg and crawls bleeding out of bed determined to continue his quest for vengeance.

What the episode did too was bring Gus Frings out of the shadow and into clearer view as a real threat to Walt. Somehow he has removed his Cartel enemies and now made it clear to Walt that he knows where he lives (as it were). The question now is surely whether Walt realizes that his new boss will one day becomes his enemy. The Pablo Escobar conversation between Walt and Walt Jr was a really nice touch. It was a very direct reminder that Walt is not the hero of this story.

I began to fully understand Dan Fienberg's point that Breaking Bad is more of a black comedy than a drama in this episode. With Walt gabbing on at the hospital and Jesse fooling around in the lab I could see the comedy trying to carry the drama. I really did laugh at Jesse inflating his suit. I think the humour does take the edge off the drama sometimes, which can be very valuable at keeping the show entertaining where it might otherwise become too depressing. But in general I don't think the show could possibly be described as comedy and stick to my argument that I don't laugh when the show does such a good job of showing ruined lives and ever deepening misery.

Seeing Jesse enter the lab in high spirits did make me question one thing though. I'm always on the look out for shows that can break from TVs very fixed mould. The tendency in every drama show is to have a group of people split up at the end of a season and then slowly bring them back together in the next one. The underlying motive is that viewers like the original dynamics that they got to see and don't like changed circumstances as much. I am someone who wants to see TV shows break free from the mould. I want to see romances that don't pay off, characters that don't survive near death experiences and bands which don't get back together. Not just for the sake of it of course. But I have seen TVs formula play out so often that I crave a drama which isn't afraid of breaking free. Breaking Bad has been really good at this. As I have said before the breakdown of Walt and Skyler's marriage has been so refreshing and tragic. But here with Jesse and Walt teaming up again I got a whiff of the "band getting back together" syndrome. If they manage to take down Gus Frings and move on to another bad guy I think the show will have made a mistake. They would then end up where Dexter has where the overall story is still intriguing but each season follows the predictable TV formula.

Modern Family - 123 - Hawaii

Sadly I don't have time to write much about another enjoyable episode of Modern Family. But needless to say Cam, Manny and Phil made me chuckle. I was struck once again how good the ensemble is and how many different permutations of characters that there are left to explore.

Community - 124 - English as a Second Language

I wasn't too sure about this episode. The idea that Senor Chang wasn't really teaching them much Spanish was difficult to accept. You would think someone like Annie might have noticed their snails-pace progress and figured something was wrong. Then after cramming for the exam they suddenly had a much better grasp of it before finally being given an easy test by another corrupt Spanish teacher. This mess of plotting rather crosses a line. It's easy to enjoy Greendale when viewed as an incompetently run but pleasant enough college. When you start implying that every teacher is corrupt and the students aren't learning anything then it begins to destroy the sense that these characters really are going through serious personal development.

Troy's Good Will Hunting plumber plot didn't seem to go anywhere either. This seemed much more like a traditional TV parody which I am not fond of. Instead of Community's recent all-out no expenses spared parodies, this was half hearted and relied entirely on you finding the idea that plumbing was a noble calling inherently funny. I wasn't sure what to think of a plot about a relatively dumb black guy being advised to become a plumber. Is that good realistic writing or lazy mildly offensive stereotyping? It may have been there to plant seeds for a future career that Troy will find satisfying, which is fine if that's the gist of it.

Parks and Recreation - 223 - The Master Plan

A mish mash of stuff, plenty of it good. Tom's story was brief but he played it well and managed to convey something very sweet with his look of excitement when getting the barmaid's number. Similarly April and Andy play their affection for each other really well. It's amazing to think two people playing exaggerated characters can still have such good chemistry together. Although having said that the actual story of them getting together is being dragged out without much plot to back it up. The only reason they aren't together is because Andy is slow and it does feel like we are just waiting around for them to get together.

Adam Scott and Rob Lowe fit in just fine in different ways. It was funny (in a bad way) to see Mark and Ann having a calm and friendly conversation about how their relationship failed. Not only did we not see them break up but it made Mark out to be such a bland guy. If he really wanted to marry her you would think he would look far more upset than that! Ron's delight at the budget cutting measures was funny but it did verge on becoming cartoony. And as for Ann, it remained difficult to care about her stories because I don't really know who she is.

Party Down - 204 - James Ellison Funeral

No time for a more thorough summary I'm afraid but I did chuckle a couple of times. James' mistress played her tears and her role in general in a pantomime way which spoiled that subplot for me.

Other TV 2 - 8 May

Tue, 04 May 2010 12:14:00 +0100

Breaking Bad - 307 - One Minute

This was a classic case of why I avoid all spoilers including even the vaguest description of an episode. On the Firewall and Iceberg podcast last week they talked about how insane this episode would be and so somehow I was expecting a bloodbath beyond anything that could be delivered. It's a shame because nothing should take away from the terrific final scene where the cousins came to take down Hank and that beautiful final shot of a parking lot with bodies littered around it.

But in the moment the searing adrenaline I felt when Jesse was breathing his final breath under Tucco's gun (202) wasn't quite present. I guess in the moment I expected Hank to die and Breaking Bad to wade into even darker and more miserable territory. To kill Hank off would have been very brave and it almost felt like a shame that the writers didn't go all the way with it. But then again perhaps Hank is the male hero of the piece and he is destined to recover and bring down Heizenberg in the end.

While I am picking at an otherwise superb show, I have to say I thought Jesse's desire for bitter vengeance on Hank was something of an overreaction. Yes Jesse was venting and letting his immature anger pour forth but even under those circumstances his grandiose revenge plan sounded a little too dramatic.

But really those were my only two moments of disappointment in yet another impressive episode. The opening scene was excellent showing us Tio before he became too old and ill to speak. It also gave us the kind of brief Tarrantino-like origins of the cousins which is all we need to believe that they could be such ruthless killers. Saul suggesting to Walt that they might kill Jesse was a subtle moment. Walt plays his part so well and you could see the horror of that thought crossing his mind. Even after all the bad things he has done he still recoils like his old self when something so cold blooded is presented to him. Hank crying on Marie's shoulder and confiding in her on the bed were lovely moments bringing home all he has lost thanks to Walt.

The Jesse and Walt relationship was explored really well here. Walt feels responsible for Jesse's damaged life and face. Walt does take his parental responsibilities seriously and clearly Jesse is like his surrogate son. We should also remember that Jesse is the only one who knows all that Walt has been through, don't underestimate the bonds between them. You have to wonder though whether Walt likes having a junior partner who can't do what he does. He gets Gale fired to provide work for Jesse but perhaps he also didn't like the thought that Gale was getting so good at cooking. Being the great Heizenberg has given Walt more prestige, respect and money than he has ever had and we have seen him jealously protect that status before.

Was it Gus Frings who warned Hank? It's difficult to think who else it could have been. That is an interesting twist and makes you wonder what Frings true feelings are about Walt and the Cartel.

Modern Family - 122 - Airport 2010

Another really enjoyable episode. The whole ensemble got to work on their own little gags and there were more hits than misses. I particularly liked Cam and Phil sympathizing over a style of communication while Mitchell and Claire complained about it. It makes such sense that the siblings would have that style of interaction in common and that misunderstanding of what your partner needs is such a relatable idea. I liked the Dylan subplot a lot as he remained trapped in the house and Manny being questioned by airport security was a fun idea. It could have been stretched out for much longer. The overall story was tied together by Jay's disappointment that his family were coming along (on his dime) and the conclusion to that was excellent. Just simple, logical, good values television which fitted the characters.

Community - 123 - Modern Warfare

I didn't laugh. And that does matter because a comedy should make you laugh. Now I'm the kind of guy who likes a nice punch line and this wasn't about that, which is fine. But in general Community presents really fun situations and often I don't really laugh. I'm always entertained but I don't always laugh. I think that may be one reason Community doesn't please some, it's very clever but it's not always funny in a broad general-appeal sense.

Now having got that out of the way this may be one of the best produced episodes of comedy you will ever see. After the mafia parody I didn't think the show would produce another so soon but when it is as detailed, as clever, as thorough and as fun as this, I will not complain.

No action movie cliché was spared and the little touches were so good. I love how the show finds those slithers of plausibility to explain its crazy stories. Priority registration was such a good way to make you believe that all the students would take paintball so seriously. We had the wounded in action sequence, the guy who doesn't know he's been shot bit, the wounded soldier sex scene, the betrayal, the missing clip, the villainous laughter, the showdown, the bomb strapped to the chest and the final showdown.

The writing was so strong to fit all the characters into the action scenes and to time those scenes so the show's pace was about perfect. The direction was excellent with music and effects to make it all fit together. The show really went all out and did an even better and more encompassing parody than they managed with "Contemporary American Poultry" and I was already very impressed by that episode.

The best bit of all was working Jeff and Britta's relationship into the story. That is what makes Community a real show. It's no Family Guy making references just for the sake of them, at its core are the seven main characters. Again the show's mastery of its own storytelling was terrific. I loved how Britta and Jeff were mocking the predictability of their own hook up as they hooked up. It was so fitting for two characters who like to look cool and in control rather than admit to their feelings.

Bottom line is that "Modern Warfare" is such a unique and memorable episode. You don't need to know the specific references to enjoy them all and marvel at what Community is doing with the 22 minute sit com format.

Parks and Recreation - 222 - Telethon

So Ron Swanson is sleeping and pumping his fists as if punching someone. Leslie wakes him and he explains that he suffers from a rare condition called "Sleep Fighting." Leslie comments "That must be terrible" to which Ron replies "Only when I'm losing." And I laughed. So dumb and surreal but to have a character react to something surreal in a serious manner and make it seem even more surreal is funny to me. Just a little insight into my sense of humour (see the above post on Community for the full picture).

It was another good episode all round for Parks. The show seems to thrive on episode long issues which engage all of the staff. The ensemble is comedically strong and so that makes sense and it suits Leslie to be in the centre of things panicking and slightly missing the point of things. Tom claiming he's a big fan of an obscure German sit com made me smile as did Jerry's talents being ignored again. Gotta love Ron saying "What the f*ck are you doing Perd Hapley?"

The creepy guy hitting on April so Andy could step in was a bit lame. And speaking of dragging relationships out for a long time, poor Mark was further humiliated as Ann takes another slow step toward putting him out of his misery. But other than those two moments, I enjoyed this a lot.

Party Down - 203 - Nick DiCinto's Orgy Night

There was always fun to be had with a guy trying to throw an orgy and a bunch of guests who didn't know it was one. It was nice to see Henry sympathizing with Ron for once and seeing them have a bonding moment. It was also interesting to see Kyle's relentless optimism checked for once. Kyle adds a very necessary tone of optimism to the show and he plays the wide eyed roll really well. I liked how he went to Roman for comfort, he's such an optimist that he sees a friendship where one doesn't really exist.

I'm still not laughing too much during Party Down. And there is a degree of tension while watching the staff get into trouble. I have that desire to shout at characters and tell them to stop putting their own selfish desires ahead of work, particularly Casey who should know better.

Other TV 26 April - 1 May

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:38:00 +0100

Breaking Bad - 306 - Sunset

A stunning episode in so many ways.

I don't often comment on cinematography but this episode brought home the wonderful work being done on this show. From the creepy opening murder, to Walt's new fake home, to Hank's junk food filled car, to the meth lab, to the scrap yard and finally to the beautiful shot of sunset - each scene painted a landscape filled with the emotional baggage of those inhabiting it.

The emotional landscape was equally rich. Walt treating his new "job" like it's an actual job. Taking real pride in his work and partnership with Gale, finding the kind of camaraderie and love of chemistry that eluded him in the real world of politics and schmoozing. The wonderful irony of his question "Why the hell are we making meth?" after tasting Gale's specially brewed coffee.

All the justifications going on are really important. They strike at the core of what makes humans so flawed. Jesse justifying going back into the business which killed his friend and his love. Walt and Gale justifying their criminal behavior to one another. Hank justifying his fear by allowing his grudge match with meth dealers to affect his marriage.

Then there was the big tension as Hank found the RV and Walt and Jesse cowered in side terrified that they were about to be caught. The mounting tension was really solid though obviously mid-season it seemed unlikely they were about to come face to face with Hank. The clever twist where Saul called in a fake emergency report about Marie was really sad. The quick montage to show Hank's fury at being deceived was tragic. Made all the worse by the final scene where Frings turns the cousins onto Hank in order to safeguard his investment in Walt.

Just excellent drama, great characterization and deep dark clouds of tragedy swirling overhead. But what marked this episode out as special was all those different shades of emotion. Walt went through a great journey of pride, satisfaction, camaraderie, panic, nostalgia (saying bye to the RV), terror and relief. To see all those shades made this stop on the inevitable road towards ruin much more emotional and satisfying.

Modern Family - 121 - Travels With Scout

I didn't think this was very funny, though there wasn't much wrong with it. I didn't really buy into Claire falling for the dog. Perhaps they just didn't give it enough attention. Cameron becoming the drummer was fine but I feel like there is a tendency with many comedies to overinvest in one funny character. I don't want a situation where every week we discover that Cameron has a new hidden hobby, desire, talent or other gimmick. If you do that too much then it becomes difficult to accept him as a real person.

Community - 122 - The Art of Discourse

A really entertaining episode in several ways. It didn't quite hang together as the very best episodes this season have done but it achieved a lot of good things.

First off are the high school kids who were possibly the most obnoxious characters I have ever seen on TV. When you have watched thousands of episodes of television you generally develop a layer of immunity to certain instant emotional reactions. Basically it's very rare that a TV character annoys me. Usually bad writing, bad casting or bad acting can annoy but I don't actually feel much emotion. Most viewers know when a character is being presented to deliberately annoy you, which in itself takes some of the sting out of their behaviour.

But in terms of writing these annoying high schoolers were pitch perfect. I could actually feel a tense desire in me for Jeff to punch one of them in the face. The scripting was so good because every step Britta and Jeff took to counter their teasing failed in a plausible manner. The kids just kept being more obnoxious and there really isn't much retort to someone simply repeating everything you say. The final showdown where Britta and Jeff were reduced to mimicking their mocking back at them was somehow more realistic than any witty retort or cunning scheme they could have come up with.

Underpinning this unusual choice of plot was the emotional reality behind Jeff and Britta's characters. Troy, Annie and Abed are all young and have an excuse to be at Community College. Similarly Pierce and Shirley having returned to College later in life have their excuses for being where they are. Where as Jeff and Britta in their 30s are in a more precarious and potentially embarrassing position. This episode showcased one of the biggest bonds which draw Britta and Jeff to one another - the shared shame of perception that they haven't got further along in life.

We also got to see Shirley find some common ground with Pierce which was much needed. And quite understandably their age is what they bonded over and the feeling that sometimes they were left out of the group. Community has been relentlessly creative and clever, but never forget that what really makes the show work is that we can relate to these characters emotions.

The setup for Pierce pantsing Shirley was spot on as well. The writing does such a good job of making Abed look believably clever. He manipulated Troy into fulfilling his movie led wish list in a way which harmed no one - then Pierce rather missed the point. I liked the way the group couldn't function as well without Pierce. It felt like a very real recognition by the group; without a whipping boy their own flaws might become more exposed and begin to rub each other the wrong way. Despite all the surface silliness this recognised a very real fact about any social group.

Parks and Recreation - 221 - 94 Meetings

An episode which never quite clicked for me. Leslie's plot didn't really go anywhere. The site she was trying to protect seemed to have dubious value and in the end she wasn't that upset when it was demolished. I'm also getting tired of the endless implausible paintings of violent Native American incidents and the montages of Leslie reacting to the same news on camera.

Mark and Ann's relationship has never developed in a way which has been interesting and the latest developments are no better as Mark circles the drain without knowing it.

The idea of the 94 meetings was fun but the execution didn't provide many laughs. Ron had every good reason to yell at April and his swift forgiveness meant that story didn't really take hold either. It did at least give us the chance to meet the rest of the Ludgate family which could provide some really fun future scenes. Her parents are so relentlessly pleasant and friendly that it would seem April and her sister have chosen to rebel by being as uncommunicative and cold as possible.

Party Down - 202 - Precious Lights Pre-School Auction

I like Henry being in charge and taking things seriously. It makes it much easier to sympathise with his situation than when Ron was flapping around and bringing trouble upon himself. As ever Henry and Casey are easy to sympathise with as the sane people amongst the crazy and unreasonable ones. In general Party Down doesn't make enough jokes for my taste and this episode was a good example of that.

Other TV 19 - 25 April

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:47:00 +0100

Spartacus Blood and Sand - 113 - Kill Them All

As expected this was a very satisfying finale. The moment when Spartacus leapt off Crixus' shield to start the rebellion was pure comic book freeze frame. But as in keeping with the strength of the show that moment of beautiful cinematography was also part of excellent storytelling. After eleven episodes of build-up within the ludus suddenly the slaves stood over their masters and exacted revenge.

Until the end Lucretia and Batiatus remained well rounded characters, showing favour to some slaves and friends, sharing a deep affection for one another and of course being deeply greedy and immoral as well. They very much sowed the seeds of their own downfall all season but specifically by messing with Ilithyia and Crixus here they caused their own downfall. Other highlights were the disturbing fury of Varro's widow Aurelia and Crixus finally putting his ego aside and acknowledging Spartacus' worth.

I wish I had time to review every episode of Spartacus: Blood and Sand it deserves it. But sadly I don't. I do want to end on two notes though. One is to say to other shows that they should learn from what made this season so strong. The three specific reasons were:

1. Episodic Television
So many complicated dramas forget the power of an episode focussed on a single event or single character. Of course multiple plot strands need to be weaved along the way but Spartacus showed the way here by building each episode around one event. The show was so successful and memorable because each episode felt like an event, important in itself and worthy of a viewers full attention. The build-up to the battle with Theocoles, the twist endings with Ilithyia's sexual encounter with Spartacus and then Varro's death will all stick with me as superb moments amongst others.

2. Characterisation
My favourite moment of the whole season was (no joking) Lucretia agreeing not to give Crixus a blowjob. He was her property, she ordered him to do something, he had no right to obey. Yet because she genuinely loved him she was more than happy to grant his request for more rest in the hopes that he might go on living. It was a touching moment and showed off the deep emotions being stirred up by his impending showdown with Theocoles. All season the masters and slaves showed each other relatable human affection. Lucretia loved Crixus, appreciated Naevia, had deep affection and loyalty toward Batiatus and at one stage a genuine friendship with Ilithyia. Similarly Batiatus had great respect for Doctore and Spartacus and something bordering on admiration for Ashur. On and on down the list each character had believable and understandable friendships with other slaves, masters and gladiators. Never did I think a character was being written in a simplistic fashion. It was an object lesson in how to make characters seem real.

3. Creating their own universe
Just as important as those friendships was the sense that this Roman world was real and appreciably different to our own. The way Doctore and Crixus, right till the end, continued to find honour in this world was fascinating. They were slaves forced to do battle for sport and entertainment. Their fickle masters and supporters cared little for their actual well being, yet these men created a code of honour to imbue their actions with meaning and significance. Similarly upstairs Batiatus had to always play within the confines of acceptable behaviour when guests were coming round. He put his slaves back in their place, paraded them around and sometimes had to order them to do humiliating things. This despite the relationships which he developed with them when no one else was around. It all fitted together to paint the picture of the stratified Roman society and the convincing fury at those who broke convention was consistently portrayed. I could of course go into greater detail but the consistency of the portrayal of life at the ludus built the foundation upon which the drama launched off from.

The second of my points is a warning about the future. Rome and Prison Break both had successful first seasons which they were unable to sustain. Rome like Spartacus portrayed historical events and once Julius Caesar was dead the story became much more complicated to tell. Season two therefore lacked the focus and intensity of the first. Meanwhile on Prison Break, Michael Schofield and company were in a situation very similar to Spartacus. In a world with strict rules and boundaries each action that breaches those rules has immediate consequences. Once they left the prison those rules were no longer in place to keep the drama grounded and season two was a sprawling mess.

As Spartacus leads the slaves out into the Roman countryside the show's producers will have to work hard to maintain the strength of storytelling they have kept up so far. I don't want to spoil anyone who doesn't know the historical story but of course there will be large battles in the show's future. It will be hard to keep the same level of intensity that was possible with one-on-one fights. Sadly Andy Whitfield (Spartacus) has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma so there is an outside chance that Spartacus may not come back for a second season. I don't know any more details so beyond wishing him all the best I won't comment further. I will just say that Season One was a huge success and proof that you shouldn't judge a TV show by its pilot.

Breaking Bad - 305 - Mas

I don't want to harp on it because I spent the last post talking about it a lot. But one weakness of Breaking Bad is that I don't think it can pull off humour. Here Walt stands up from his closet hiding place and the tiny chair he was sitting on sticks to his butt and then falls off. It was a fun moment but I couldn't laugh. The show is so dark now that (for me) humour just bounces off it, unable to penetrate the seriousness of what is going on. I thought this was emphasised by the strip club flashback. It reminded you of a time when the show had a sense of hope to it. A sense that maybe Jesse and Walt might find some happiness from their partnership. Now it seems like there is no hope left.

The strip club flashback was really well written. Most viewers needed the reminder of who Combo was and how his story now connected Hank back to Jesse. Hank is now going through the stage which Walt was going through in season two. He is so determined to complete his work that he has stopped communicating with those around him. The story of Walt's life is such a compelling reality check. Thanks to him Hank's career and marriage are being badly damaged. Now Skyler is becoming corrupted by the money. We have seen her twice now have to think about what Walt has been through and momentarily wonder if maybe he had some kind of reasonable justification (here it is Marie talking about how seeing death had changed Hank). Now with Walt moving out perhaps she will begin to forgive him.

Of course that forgiveness will keep her fatally close to him as the net closes in. Gus Frings offer to give Walt his own meth lab was a beautiful thing. All through the early parts of the season Walt was a sympathetic figure. He was dying of cancer and just wanted to provide for his family. The one question always hanging over him was why he was "just" a teacher. It was never made clear why Walt didn't take his skills and ambition and make a better career for himself (after leaving his partnership at Grey Matter). Whether it was stubbornness or his own failings wasn't entirely clear but his frustration with that situation was.

Frings offer was built around Walt's desire to provide for his children. But the subtext was just as fascinating. Finally someone was offering Walt a job which conferred status upon him. Finally someone had put down resources just to secure his talent. Even in this most grubby of professions Walt was being recognised as a man of great skill. It was pure seduction and Walt fell for it. Now he has three months to live. Presumably Frings will learn his formula and then the cousins will move in for the kill.

The show is about to get more intense and even darker.

Community - 121 - Contemporary American Poultry

Community is hands down the most innovative and fun comedy to watch on TV right now. I didn't say the funniest, but definitely the most fun. It's the one show that I really wish I could have reviewed in full this year because it has been trying so many new things each week. Lots of comedies go in for parodies and my consistent complaint is that they don't take it far enough. So many shows do a half hearted parody, enough so you will get the reference but not so much that they really entertain you.

I have no such complaints about this episode. The writers took the Goodfellas and Godfather style mafia parody all the way through Greendale and to a conclusion all about Abed's character. The detail work was excellent making chicken into the drug which propelled the gang to new levels of greed. The writing made use of all the smaller characters and didn't let up on the parody until the final scene. It was a daring idea, executed with real confidence and once more I marvel at Abed, a comedy character who allows for the flexibility needed to make these crazy plots seem just about believable.

On the other hand there is a downside to this. The parody was so detailed that it moved too fast. Abed's first act as fry cook was to exchange chicken for a bump in grades for the whole study group. That is behavior which could get them all into deep trouble and yet Britta, Annie and Shirley all go along with when it seems like something which would instantly set off their moral codes. As the parody develops this gets worse of course, to the point where the gang fawn over Abed in a way which though conforming to the parody doesn't seem like believable behavior. Finally the conclusion to the plot which tries to tie Jeff and Abed's characters together and expose something meaningful about both just didn't have time to develop properly. It didn't help that we just had a plot about Jeff's issues (119) and about Abed's inability to relate to others (117).

Community is being so clever each week that it feels stupid to tell them to slow down. But to be the best comedy ever I would want them to slow down, focus on believable character stories and try and draw out the big laughs rather than cramming in so many little moments. But if they did that maybe the show wouldn't be so much fun to watch?

Party Down - 201 - Jackal Onassis Backstage Party

I haven't written about Party Down before but I did watch all of season one, enjoyed it a bit and saw the other critics heaping praise on it. The show has taken the ultra real approach to comedy and gone for a somewhat negative and downbeat tone. It's a world of people who wish they weren't doing the job they are doing and serving others who are equally miserable. It was always going to be tough for the show to please me, someone who likes my comedy to uplift me. But I appreciate a well structured joke as much as anyone and am still watching, so it must be doing something right.

The thing which I dislike most about the show is hapless ex-boss Ron. It's a credit to how much goodness and hope he injects into the role that I find it so unpleasant to see him get constantly humiliated. It would seem that the show intends to put the band back together and we will presumably end up with Ron working for Henry which might be a fun dynamic. I found the show was always solid at setting up a good episodic plot but not always great at delivering on jokes.

That basic feeling stuck with me here as Jackal Onassis (essentially Marilyn Manson) swaps places with Roman for the night. I didn't think Jackal was very convincing in the role and that brought the whole episode down a notch in believability. He was just too nice and too normal at times that it felt contrived. But the basic premise of Roman still being unable to impress any women despite being dressed as a huge star was a fun idea. The tension between Henry and Casey was always going to be the major running story and as ever they played their parts well.

We'll see how well Megan Mullally fits in and whether the show sticks rigidly to its formula or goes somewhere different.

Other TV 12 - 18 April

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:34:00 +0100

Spartacus Blood and Sand - 112 - Revelations

The best episode of television I have seen in quite some time. Intricate plotting coming to fruition with perfect timing. The final shot of Spartacus finally putting word to his escape was pitch perfect. The fact that I knew all season that this moment would come and I still cared is perhaps the highest compliment I can pay this show.

But why stop there? This whole episode was brilliant. Every scene dripped with the emotions of its characters as their secret behaviours were laid bare and their shame came rushing to the surface. The detail work was so strong as well at each step. I don't like to resort to lists but there was so much to enjoy here that this seems simplest.

- It made sense that Solonius, a ludus owner would have some technique to take to the arena.

- It has never been elaborated on as to why Crixus decided to injure Ashur in the arena, aside from the fact that Crixus is an ass hole. But Ashur certainly took out his revenge in the most personal way.

- I liked how Crixus had had time for the idea that Naevia was sleeping with another man to sink in before he went crazy. It made it more plausible that having stewed on that thought he would fly into a rage at the realization that Ashur was that man.

- I liked Lucretia arguing against Naevia being given to Ashur. The relationships between master and slave have never been simple on this show.

- Varro's wife Aurelia is essentially a plot device to explain why Spartacus didn't kill Batiatus when he had the chance. But the fact that the writers went to the effort of explaining that is excellent. Another show might simply have had Spartacus aim to escape anyway. Or indeed have the deaths of his fellow gladiators be enough to weigh down his conscience. But instead they went the extra mile and forced Spartacus to consider the alternative route of killing all Batiatus' men as his solution. It also fits with his character because he was willing to kill them all when he thought he would regain Sura.

- I thought Glaber was superb. I wasn't taken with him in the first couple of episodes but here he was as arrogant and despicable as he could be. That is one of the keys to the shows success, it pushes primal buttons. I compared the show to professional wrestling early on and no more was that epitomized in Glaber's return. He was pure "heel" and engendered genuine emotion from me when he set his entire guard on Spartacus.

- That scene was beautifully filmed and lots of fun as Spartacus beat down the entire guard and held himself back from killing the two men who sat watching him.

- Lucretia's pregnancy will presumably present Crixus with a bit of a dilemma when she is at the end of his sword next episode. I loved how Batiatus handled the incident. As predicted he knew she was sleeping with him and let it go on because it made her happy. Again the ability of the show to display complex affections like that has been really impressive. Batiatus is all too happy to ignore the question of paternity too and raise "his" son regardless of who the father is. An adaptable pragmatist as ever. I was cheering him on when he finally snapped at Glaber and played the blackmail card.

- I thought the writing did a good job of giving Mira a bit of personality so that it is easier to care about her fate.

- All the pieces are now in place of course for the rebellion to take place. Crixus now has little reason to suspect he will be treated well and Doctore finally sees his master for what he is.

- Crixus' tears as Naevia said goodbye were well acted. He has done a great job of acting like a stuck up jerk all season, to see his devastation was quite the moment.

If you haven't watched this show...do!

Breaking Bad - 304 - Green Light

Alan Sepinwall continues to do fine work covering this show http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/2010/04/breaking-bad-green-light-half-and-half.html. But I have to disagree that the comedy works at all. For me the show is relentlessly bleak and the comedy is nullified by the hopeless future all of its characters have to look forward to.

Poor Hank still draws sympathy as a tough guy in a tough business who can't bear to admit his very understandable trauma. Walt's life has fallen completely to pieces and it seems like he will cook again just to feel like he is great at something. Jesse may have become clean but he remains wedded to a life of crime and here almost ruins another girls life, a major step backward. Skyler is sleeping with a guy who also broke the law, she now has a proverbial ton of bricks waiting to fall on her head. Even Saul, the comic relief is the ultimate bottom feeder, trying to capitalise on people's grief in order to put together a lawsuit.

Like no other show I watch, Breaking Bad wallows in human misery. It's a glorious wallow, squeezing the reality out of every scene for maximum impact. But a wallow in misery nonetheless. Another reason the humour is difficult to get into is that the bleak future of these characters translates into a bleak imagining of the future of the show. Where is the show going from here? Toward arrest, trial, humiliation and prison? Toward bloody death and posthumous shame and misery? It will doubtless be compelling to watch but I can't laugh about it.

Modern Family - 120 - Benched

The trouble with not writing a full review of each episode of a show is that you lose touch with specifics. You forget little details and how they played out before. I don't know with Modern Family how many times I have seen particular dynamics interact or similar stories be told. I hope one day to do justice to all the shows I watch and write full reviews for all.

What I will say about Modern Family is is that I think it succeeds because of its casting and tone and the actual episodes it puts together aren't as satisfying as they could be. It's reaching the stage now where we know all the characters pretty well and it would be nice to get into some stories with real teeth. Stories which focus on one character or one family exclusively and are perhaps more plot focussed then joke focussed.

What worked about "Benched" was that the writers understand their characters really well. All the characters feel authentic and behave as you would expect them to. The tone of their emotions and interactions is excellent and thoroughly enjoyable throughout. So Cameron weeping about wanting to be a Trophy Wife or Jay pushing everyone around or Gloria and Claire commiserating on motherhood were all good ideas and effectively portrayed. But by episodes end I wanted more depth. I wanted an entire episode just about the basketball team or about Mitchell's career or about motherhood. I wanted to get into those worlds and pull out the real emotions and the more involved jokes which stick in your memory.

Modern Family is now thoroughly in The Big Bang Theory territory. As in they are so good at playing to the masses that they are in danger of never reaching their potential. I don't think pushing for more depth will ruin the commercial appeal of the show. Season two will probably tell us a lot about what the producers want to create. Right now it is a very appealing but broad family comedy. There is a lot of money to be made doing that for five years straight. But is there anyone there who wants more? Who wants the glory of being talked about as one of the best comedies ever? I can only hope.

Other TV 5 - 11 April

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:31:00 +0100

True Blood Season 2

After twelve episodes of relentless mayhem I feel the need to split up my thoughts as if I were writing a review.

The Good

I'll admit that there is something addictive about watching True Blood. This season was far more plot oriented than the first and focused heavily on clearly defined bad guys. The action packed march toward Maryann's downfall and the failure of the Fellowship of the Sun certainly made me want to watch the next episode just to see what craziness was going to ensue next. And the way that the Stackhouses and Bill were kept out of Bon Temps as Maryann began to infect everyone made a lot of sense. It allowed for them to return and save the day as you would expect.

Sam was the big winner of the season. His never smiling broodiness was fleshed out to the point where his performance matched his lonely back-story very well. The tragedy for him was not restricted to being Maryann's target either, his love affair with Daphne was also sad. He had never met another shape shifter before and was so happy to have done so that her betrayal was actually pretty brutal. Seeing him fool Maryann and rip out her heart was definitely a satisfying end to the story and his tears when he spotted a deer nearby were fitting.

Bill continues to be the glue which holds the whole show together. His relentless morality and upright behavior make him the real hero of the show. His deep affection for Sookie also helps to mask the more grating aspects of her presentation. Eric grew in stature too; his moral compass was well defined throughout. He believes in justice and peace, always punishing those who have done vampires wrong but leaving others alone. The writing also gave him a more varied emotional context with his manipulative desire for Sookie and his unflinching loyalty to his maker Godric. Godric was actually the most intriguing and enjoyable character in the whole season. A vampire now two thousand years old who had grown beyond petty lusts and desires and could see that peace was preferable to any kind of conflict. His decision to die because he had lived for too long could have been a whole season in itself. I also appreciate the consistency shown in how vampires' strength and various powers operate. It definitely adds a new dimension to the vampire mythology to have an older vampire always able to subdue a younger one.

Lafayette continued his fine performance from season one and got to add a new side to his character. His genuine trauma at what happened to him during his imprisonment was consistently and believably played. Elements like that do add something to the True Blood universe. Lafayette's fear didn't really influence the story much. He didn't confront and defeat it yet it didn't hold him back for too long. True Blood does come across sometimes as a self contained universe where things happen, which just are. They don't necessarily all need to be a part of the plot and that's not bad for creating a sense that what you are watching has depth to it.

Jason Stackhouse's morality flip flopped around at times but he was entertaining to watch. He plays his role with conviction and was occasionally furnished with a fun line or decent scene to play.

The Bad

A lot of what made True Blood addictive to watch is the DVDisation of television shows. As an HBO show, not forced to adapt to network TV commercial breaks and scheduling, the season felt like it was made for DVD. Plot threads weren't really built around the hour of time given to them, they would just sort of run into one another. Most episodes didn't end on an appreciable cliffhanger, they just sort of paused for a moment before the action resumed in the next episode. While that might sound like a nice change from the predictable pattern of network TV it can also be a pain. True Blood does feel relentless, there doesn't ever seem to be a pause or a chance to catch your breath. Yes there was never a dull moment but so much sex, violence and blood all ran into one another that not many incidents from the season have stayed with me. Indeed the season began in a rush continuing the murder set up in the season finale of season one. But by the end of Maryann's orgy of violence I was hoping for a pause at the end of this season. A chance to take a break, for these characters to heal and forget a little of what they just went through. I rather groaned when Bill was abducted and Jason shot Eggs. It suggests we are in for ever more churning and misery and relentless developments in season three.

The relentless structure of the show also means that character development is not its highest priority. I complained about this in season one and it began to bite here (no pun intended) when it felt like I was supposed to care deeply about Sookie, Tara and Jason but I didn't feel I had a strong reason too. As I have said elsewhere the key to good development is to show us a full emotional palette for each character. As the characters in True Blood are always rushing from one sexual encounter to a life threatening situation and back again, this doesn't really take place.

Sookie suffers from this particularly as the central character. She and Bill have argued and made up so many times that it becomes difficult to see much consistency in her decisions. Her propensity to get angry and be rude swiftly rather jars with the assumption that she is sweet and kind, which sometimes she is. It's difficult to tell also whether the acting is not up to giving Sookie and soft and warm disposition or whether the writing is inconsistent. But in general I find her shrill and irritating at key moments where she ought to be the sympathetic figure.

The show also followed a pattern of character introduction which I am not a fan of. In shows like The O.C., Dawson's Creek, Desperate Housewives and even 24 this same pattern has been repeated again and again. A character is introduced who has no real back-story, apparently no friends or family and not much in the way of defining characteristics beyond the surface layer. They immediately begin a romantic relationship with one of our characters and then eventually leave or are killed. Here we had that exact pattern with both Daphne and Eggs. The signal sent to viewers with the empty characterization is not to care about the character because the show is not investing the time in them necessary to make us care. Yet their deaths or exits are meant to carry huge emotional weight for the central characters they leave behind. They do not of course and the drama falls flat.

I'm also left confused as to who True Blood's target demographic is. The show is filled with explicit sex, drugs and violence. Yet the show also dabbles in some of the dumbest, most obvious humour you are likely to see on TV. Andy and Jason's partnership was particularly stupid with some of the gags scraping the very bottom of the barrel. There were plenty of asinine sequences of action too with Tara's mother holding up Lafayette and Sookie just to fill some time, Hoyt's mother embarrassing herself and everyone else, Jason and Andy wandering into a crowd of possessed people with no plan at all. Sarah (from the Fellowship of the Sun) was just a bizarre character too, falling in and out of love with Jason at the drop of a hat. There was one slow-mo sequence of her frolicking to indicate Jason's growing interest in her which was about as shameless and unnecessary as anything this side of season two of Rome. I wasn't entirely satisfied with the way the residents of Bon Temps went back to life as normal despite the utter chaos and in some cases serious wounds they had inflicted on each other.

The Unknown

Jessica's development as a vampire was fairly intriguing though seeing her act rebellious to "daddy" Bill got tiresome pretty quickly. But her vacillating morals actually fit the story rather well. So recently turned and with Bill's guidance her human morality was still present. Yet her new vampire instincts kept coming to the surface leaving her future uncertain. The concept of her eternal virginity is one of the most original, unpleasant and tragic ideas I have seen in a show like this. But I very much doubt anyone could write a satisfying conclusion to it.

The Bottom Line

I think True Blood has made it clear that like the Twilight saga, there is a big market for supernatural franchises in our culture right now. I believe it also suggests a lot of the people watching are looking for a DVD box set that they can pop in and just watch all in one go. This show is much better at stimulating you to click to the next episode rather than invest and care about its characters. In that sense True Blood is far more like Gossip Girl than Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I will keep watching. I am a fan of the genre and I like to stay informed but this is a show which won't deliver the emotional punch I look for from my TV shows. In its present state it will always deliver more "Bad" than "Good."

Breaking Bad - 303 - I.F.T.

The complete and utter contrast to True Blood in every way imaginable! This episode was all about characters not saying anything but letting their smouldering emotions tell the story. I can understand a viewer who felt this was too slow and prefers mind numbing developments. I think that comes down to what you watch TV for. Do you watch it for stimulation of one kind or another or do you want to see stories and characters presented with all the reality that they would receive in a book or movie?

I like both for the record but would take Breaking Bad over True Blood almost any day. Seeing Jesse call Jane's voicemail over and over again was so simple and sad. I imagine anyone can relate to that kind of clinging on behaviour even if not for someone who has passed away.

Meanwhile Walt's refusal to accept that what he's done has ruined his marriage became ever sadder to watch. The breakdown in trust between him and Skyler is probably the most impressive thing about the whole show. You just don't see that on other TV shows. What I loved about this was that he laid it all out for her. He told her that he did it all for the family, he listed all the things his children would need money for. He made his case in a way which you can imagine in any other TV show might have started winning her back. But no! The fascinating part is that it's not just the broken trust which bothers Skyler. It's the fact that he crossed a moral line which she was not prepared to. He has shown a willingness to do something illegal which she just can't have in the man she loves. To her he has become a different person to the one she agreed to marry.

Walter Junior is the one you feel most sorry for. He is being used somewhat like a pawn by Walt and you can't help but feel he is going to feel horribly betrayed when the truth comes out. It seemed like Hank was trying to avoid getting his promotion so he wouldn't have to face up to his post-traumatic stress. Again the consequences of one episode last season are still playing out now and that's great to see.

Spartacus Blood and Sand - 111 - Old Wounds

Another strong episode moving us toward a presumably blood soaked finale to this surprisingly good drama.

Once more the story builds itself around simple but easy to follow changes in fortune and dynamic. Batiatus and Spartacus reach the height of their mutual respect as Batiatus offers to give his own money to Varro's widow. At the same time Batiatus' fortunes outside the ludus reach their highest pointas well. He manages to slay the magistrate Calavius and pin the murder on his rival Solonius. But at this moment of triumph for Batiatus his undoingbegins to appear.

I really liked Spartacus' delirious visions. Again the show does a good job of showing the consequences of the various wounds suffered by Gladiators, as Spartacus slips in and out of fever. The mystical, mythical element was present of course but it was not overbearing. Viewers can look at Spartacus discoveryof the truth about his wife's murder as either divine intervention or his subconscious supplying him with information he already knew. The fact that Spartacusworked out the lie he was fed through simple deduction was an object lesson to other dramas in simple and clever narrative structure.

I was also very pleased to see Lucretia drunk at the games. With all the wine they sipped you would imagine this happened more often than not. The fact that shewas downning too much because of her nerves over Crixus was even better. Batiatus can't be too far away from discovering the truth. They've done such a good jobwith his mixed morality that I could quite imagine him blaming Crixus for the situation. Better that than admit his wife wanted something which he couldn't supply.

Ashur's betrayal of Solonius was a tiny misstep, though even that maybe overstating it. Ashur has of course been conspiring with Solonius for some time and this turn of events implied it had all been a long con. It may be that Ashur's dissension was legitimate and he just decided to stick with the devil he knew when the plan was suggested to him. But if it was a con all along then it was a bit of a TV trick more than a clever twist. We saw Ashur genuinley disgruntled with notbeing able to return to the arena. We saw him having his verbal doubts about the plan here. So the twist didn't really allow for viewers to guess what was going on - we were deliberately mislead. That's a very different twist to the cleverly plotted ones we have seen so far.

However it may be that Ashur was genuinley conflicted and hopefully that will be explored a little further. Two episodes left and I am excited to see what's in store.