Blogcritics

Diary of a TV Addict: September Part 1, The New Shows

Ian Woolstencroft — Mon, 1 Oct 2007 20:12:23 EDT

Is the new TV season just a case of the Emperor's new clothes?
Hi, my name’s Ian and I’m a TV addict. During the summer I thought I’d conquered my addiction, or at least got it under control, only watching one show, Burn Notice (I did try the new Flash Gordon series but the less said about that the better, after all I’m an addict not a masochist).Burn Notice has now finished...

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

TV Review: May Round-Up - Criminal Minds Reaches The End of its Second Season

Ian Woolstencroft — Mon, 28 May 2007 15:35:26 EDT

“Open Season” As a counterpoint to the violent action to come the episode opens with one of the series' funniest moments as the three female BAU members enjoy a girl’s night out in a local bar where a man tries to pick up Agent Prentiss by posing as an FBI agent. It’s little touches like this that help build the characters in much the same way as the similarly story-minded series CSI. This week we get a riff on the classic Most Dangerous Game story as the BAU investigate a series of murders where the victims appear to have been hunted. Usually the series excels when it focuses on one of the FBI team, creating a personal aspect to the investigation, but what makes this episode special is its plot, giving a decidedly old story (it was originally published in 1924 and filmed in 1932) a decidedly new spin. The stories often end with a race against time to save the victim but the action-packed climax to this episode adds to the body count before the credits roll. “Legacy” Having pulled the episode “Doubt” out of consideration for the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy, the series reaches the penultimate episode of season 2. Writer Edward Allen Bernero has clearly seen and been inspired by the film Hostel, a fact made obvious by the opening torture scenes but he’s taken ideas from that film and crafted them into a gripping story of a “house cleaner,” a serial killer who believes that he is doing a public service, targeting junkies and street people. The BAU have to find another way into the investigation when the local police refuse to ask for help even though a local cop contacted them convinced that a lot of people have gone missing. The tension is built up well as the team try and find the killer before he strikes again, but the episode feels rushed as it reaches its conclusion to such an extent that I was expecting a “To Be Continued” blurb to appear onscreen. It spoils what had been a terrific episode and left this viewer feeling distinctly unsatisfied. “No Way Out, Part II: The Evilution of Frank” Keith Carradine’s return as Frank, the most prolific serial killer the FBI has ever encountered, should have been a cause for celebration. Frank’s first appearance was the series' peak, concentrating on performances above all else, with Carradine proving the perfect foil for Mandy Patinkin’s Gideon. This time however, flashy direction gets in the way. Whereas the first episode benefited from keeping it simple, this one is full of rapid cuts, freeze frames, and skewed angles. Frank also loses his mystery, but then that’s an important element of the story and can’t be helped. Solving the mystery of Frank is how they catch him, yet at the same time it weakens him. His focus is on Gideon, not only killing a female friend but also tracking down the people he’s saved. Considering how many episodes start with the team flying somewhere it’s amazing how many Frank tracks down, well amazing or contrived depending on your outlook. Even though Gideon is Frank's nemesis, this time the two only encounter each other at the end of the story and it's a shame as they played off each other brilliantly the first time around. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad episode, it just falls short compared to Frank’s first appearance. Even Carradine, so menacing in that episode, is a little lacking, his performance too theatrical this time. He’s less real and more of a boogieman and it weakens both the character and the story. Of course Frank’s story was only part of the episode, the rest concerned Section Chief Erin Strauss and her plan to remove Agent Hotchner as the BAU’s leader. Jayne Atkinson, late of 24, plays Strauss so she’s no doubt quite happy to have lined up some work for next season even if the plot thread does seem to come out of nowhere. Her spy within the team also feels a little forced, like the series creators felt the need for a cliffhanger just because everyone else does it. Hopefully the resolution won’t spoil this excellent series next season.

Ian Woolstencroft was brought up on a diet of John Wayne movies and Marvel Comics and still has a passion for both. Now as a blogcritic he finally understands what Spider-Man's Uncle Ben meant when he said 'With great power comes great responsibility.'

TV Review: May Round-Up - CSI Season 7 Reaches a Disappointing Conclusion

Ian Woolstencroft — Sun, 20 May 2007 17:13:27 EDT

"Leapin’ Lizards" This episode starts with a bang, opening with a big shoot-out that leaves a man dead. It turns out the man was a suspect in a missing persons case in this story that encompasses alien abduction, hallucination, and deception. While the story may seem far-fetched it is, in fact, based on a real incident. The regular cast all acquit themselves well, with Grissom in particularly witty form, but what sets this apart are the hallucination scenes. Lizard-like aliens are not the sort of thing you’d usually expect to see in CSI, but here we get a look at what the delusional murder suspects are seeing, suspects who are convinced the world is being invaded by aliens. Richard J. Lewis is an old hand at directing CSI with over thirty episodes under his belt. Here he handles the opening action sequence extremely well, giving it a real cinematic feel. It’s a scene we see twice, the second time with the police officers appearing as lizard-men. The episode also contains some nice Grissom/Sara moments. The ending is a little bizarre though -- were we really supposed to think Gil was the “Miniature Killer”? "The Good, the Bad, and the Dominatrix" Lady Heather returns, this time as the victim of an attempted murder. While the investigation is interesting in itself, it’s the impact Heather’s return has on the other members of the team, particularly Sara, that really engages the viewer this episode. It’s also hinted that Brass knows about Gil and Sara, although he’s interrupted before we can learn for sure. Grissom, not content with just catching the killer, also helps leave the episode with a feel-good ending as Heather’s story reaches its (probable) conclusion. This penultimate episode is the calm before the storm perhaps? "Living Doll" After building up the Miniature Killer for much of the season, this episode comes as something of a letdown. The killer’s identity fails to live up to expectations but with so much anticipation, it was always going to be an anticlimax. More surprising is how disappointing the story is, with the viewer knowing how it will end by the halfway point. The direction is also extremely irritating. How often have we seem the police knock on the suspect's door only to find that it’s someone else’s door they’re knocking on and it’s just a delivery man at the killer's home? Or a cheap shock moment that turns out to have only been in the killer’s imagination? It’s the clichéd handling as much as the story that really disappoints. The episode does have its moments, Grissom’s matter-of-fact revelation to the team that he and Sara are a little more than just work colleagues first among them. But this episode just lays the groundwork, ending as it does with a cliffhanger. The real meat of the story will be in next season’s opening episode; here’s hoping it’s better than the build-up.

TV Review: April Round-Up - Including 24, Lost, and Heroes

Ian Woolstencroft — Thu, 10 May 2007 23:53:09 EDT

US TV24“Day 6: 9pm-2am”Jack recovers the suitcase nukes in by far the season's best action sequence as he takes down the terrorist cell single-handed. His brutal hand-to-hand showdown with Fayed reminded me that one of the reasons I watch this show is its ability to deliver some of the best action scenes in a weekly TV show.Other events, including Audrey’s reappearance and President Palmer’s collapse reminded me of the other thing that keeps me watching – some of the most contrived plot twists ever perpetrated on a TV viewing audience. The screenwriters’ guidelines seem to be to do the unexpected no matter how improbable or implausible it may be. Frankly I haven’t been able to take the series seriously since Jack’s wife collapsed only to wake up with amnesia in season one and to be perfectly honest, I don’t want to. There are better written, better plotted, and better acted shows on TV but this tops them for sheer self-indulgent fun. I can even see it continuing without Kiefer Sutherland (as others have speculated) with Ricky Schroder’s Mike Doyle sharing many Bauer character traits. Now if they could just find out that Morris has secretly been working with the terrorists all along and let Jack go to work on him I’d really be happy.Criminal Minds“Honor Among Thieves”This is a pretty average episode with the BAU investigating a kidnapping with Russian Mafia connections at the behest of Agent Prentiss’ mother. Special guest star Kate Jackson plays Ambassador Prentiss who pulls strings to get the team assigned to the case. The episode was obviously designed to give us an insight into Emily Prentiss' character but she’s still the new kid on the block, having only been introduced part way through this season, not to mention something of a cold fish, so it doesn’t really work. While she’s fine within the confines of the team I just don’t have the same affection for her as I do for Gideon or Reid and consequently her relationship with her mother failed to engage me. Which leaves the kidnapping and, while it’s not the most interesting case we’ve seen, it provided enough entertainment to keep me watching. The highlight, as so often with this show, is a face-off between Gideon and a suspect, this time Russian mob boss Arseny Lysowsk. Mandy Patinkin shows (again) that he’s one of the best actors currently working in episodic television as he engages in a battle of wits with the hardened criminal. Sadly the conclusion of the episode is a little farfetched but even an average episode of this far from average show is worth a watch.CSI“Big Shots”This episode is most notable for concluding the Greg storyline as the brother of the man he killed in self defence becomes a suspect in a homicide investigation. Eric Szmanda has been given something a little more complex to play thanks to this plot-line, with Greg’s character becoming more than just the comic relief he’s so often used as. Other than that this is business as usual with a plot that fails to overshadow the still unsolved miniature killer case.“Lab Rats”It had to happen – a Hodges episode! Shows always used to have cheap episode to compensate for going over budget. These would be either: a) an episode built around flashbacks to previous stories, or b) an episode set exclusively on existing sets i.e. set exclusively on the Enterprise in the case of Star Trek. This is a cross between the two. It’s also extremely entertaining. David Hodges (Wallace Langham) is the man everyone loves to hate, the smug tech who thinks he’s God’s gift to forensics. Convinced he can help solve the miniature killer case, he gathers some of the other lab workers to go over the evidence in the hope of uncovering an overlooked clue. This is the series' funniest episode ever, with Langham outstanding as the nerd with delusions of grandeur.And if that wasn’t enough we have Grissom, Doc Robbins, and a rat in a grossly funny homage to the chestburster scene in Alien.“Ending Happy”Another funny episode that features a couple of notable guest stars - Peter Stormare and James Whitmore. The case concerns a murder at a brothel and the multitude of potential suspects, all of whom not only had a reason to kill the victim (an ex-boxer named Happy) but actually attempted to. It’s up to the team to figure out who was ultimately responsible for ending Happy. It’s a cleverly scripted episode that raises many a chuckle with the aging Whitmore stealing the show and getting the biggest laugh, too. Drive“No Turning Back”I’ve already reviewed the first three episodes of this series elsewhere and this contains the same excellent blend of action and drama. Sadly this is where Fox pulled the plug…Heroes“.07%”The story continues to build towards the series finale with Linderman laying his cards on the table. The beauty of this show is that while you have no idea how it will end, the twisting plot stays true to the characters, never requiring them to do something just to further the story. Characters meet each other in unexpected ways and yet it’s all so well thought out that it seems obvious. At this point I’ve no idea how things are going to end up, who the exploding man is, and even whether they’ll stop him, but I have faith that the writers know and I can’t wait to find out.Lost“Left Behind”Kate and Juliet get to know each other after waking up handcuffed in the jungle and another piece of Kate’s past is revealed. It’s the flashback scenes that are the most intriguing this week as Kate’s back-story becomes entwined with that of Sawyer. It’s becoming clear that all the survivors will somehow be linked; it’s just becoming a little difficult to keep track of who’s connected to whom. The revelation that Juliet handcuffed herself to Kate seems a little silly and sours a surprise in a latter episode as by then we already don’t trust her.“One of Us”Jack and crew return to the beach where Juliet is unsurprisingly met with distrust. She wins some goodwill by helping Claire but the ending reveals it was all a set up by the Others to get her accepted. Juliet’s past is filled in as we see how she came to the island and what she’s been doing since. I’d been starting to like Jack again but this episode he behaves in such a pig-headed “I know best” manner that I wanted everyone to gang up on him and tell him where to stick his self-righteous attitude. Luckily you don’t have to like Jack to like the show and with the series really starting to gear up for some big end of season revelation I'm definitely hooked on Lost again. I just wish I had the same faith in the writers of this show as I do Heroes.“Catch-22”Is Charlie dying inevitable? It would seem so as he once again cheats death with more than a little help from Desmond. Desmond’s ability to see the future is at the centre of this episode and raises more than a few questions, for example – Desmond foresees the trip through the jungle but he then instigated the trip because of it, so it’s something of a chicken and egg situation. Maybe it’s best not to think about it too much. The revelation that the island’s latest arrival isn’t his lost love Penelope came as a surprise only to Desmond.“D.O.C.”Sun finds out that Jin is the father of her baby but also learns that no one who has become pregnant on the island has lived long enough to give birth. Meanwhile Mikhail returns from the dead and is coerced into helping the injured woman the group found in the jungle. This is a great episode that leaves the viewer with more questions than answers, the biggest of which is left till the end when Naomi, the injured woman tells Desmond, Hurley, Charlie and Jin that the plane they crashed in was found and everyone aboard was dead. So are they in hell, limbo or what? Only God and hopefully the writers know.Painkiller Jane“Pilot”Back in October 2005 the Sci Fi Channel broadcast a TV movie based on the Painkiller Jane comic the ending of which set things up perfectly for an ongoing series. So I was a little surprised that instead of building on the groundwork they’d already laid the decided to start from scratch. Neither of the incarnations sticks very close to the comic although the series has at least something in common, with Jane starting out as a cop.Kristanna Loken plays Jane Vasko, a Neuro (think mutant) who can recover from any injury and while she certainly won’t be winning any Emmys, she does a fair job although the voiceover is a very bad idea. Her voice is fine in conversation with other characters but isolated like this it just seems lifeless, a monotone that is more likely to send you to sleep than keep you glued to the screen. The rest of the cast while composed of stereotypes (the computer geek, the intense leader…) all do a reasonable job. What lets it down is a rather dull story and a budget that limits the amount of onscreen action. “Toy Soldiers”A story that deals with zombie soldiers should have been a winner but instead shows even more the financial constraints the show suffers from. When corpses start commenting crimes it’s down to Jane and the team to investigate finally tracking down the culprit, a teenage boy who has the power to control the dead. He's using them to play war games for his own amusement. Sadly getting to that point is rather dull and when the action does kick in it consists of a couple of military vehicles driving round a field firing at each other. There was an interesting idea here but unfortunately the series didn’t (or couldn’t?) do it justice.“Piece of Mind”Starting with a very naff looking train crash this is fighting a loosing battle from the get go. What follows is a silly story about a muta..sorry, Neuro with the ability to transfer information from one person to another and a train robbery to steal a painting. The only decent thing about this episode is that Jane starts to question the morality of tracking down and neutralising the Neuros. Unfortunatly after three episodes the series has failed to really grip me and to use a baseball adage – three strikes and you’re out.Raines“Stone Dead” Being a comic artist seems to be a cool profession on TV these days; we’ve had Henry Fitzroy in Blood Ties and now a young aspiring artist is a murder victim in Raines. This is probably the least interesting episode so far. Jeff Goldblum is still enjoyable as the neurotic detective but the victim and crime are just plain dull. For this series to survive it needs quality guest stars to play opposite Goldblum as the victims; it’s never going to outdo CSI for cleverly plotted murders so it needs to capitalise on its uniqueness. A few more like this and I’ll be giving up on it.“The Fifth Step”Now this is more like it. Melinda Page Hamilton plays Connie, the murdered wife of a judge and the object of Raines' investigation. It’s a little darker than most of the stories up till now but doesn’t lose the series' trademark sense of humour; when Raines finds out Connie may have been having a lesbian relationship… well, let's just say his already active imagination goes into overdrive. “Inner Child”Raines investigates the rape and murder of Emily, a ten-year-old girl in the series' most emotionally charged episode. Goldblum is amazing here, really giving a sense he’s on the verge of a complete breakdown, but the episode is stolen by Zoe Stone-Molloy as Emily. The newcomer more than holds her own in her scenes with Goldblum and the two have a superb chemistry together. The story manages to deal with the sensitive subject matter yet still keeps its quota of humour thanks to these two wonderful performances. Many of the other episodes had overdone it at the end, piling the emotions on treacle thick but this one, which could so easily have gone the same way, gets it just right. I had tears in my eyes as the credits rolled.“Closure”An episode that shows the good and bad in this series. Raines investigates the murder of his ex-wife’s husband, a situation with great potential for both laughs and drama, a potential that for the most part gets realised. The scene in the bar with his ex-wife is Goldblum’s finest moment in the series; he really is on the brink of going totally to pieces. Unfortunately this time we O.D. on saccharine as Raines solves not just one murder but several and we have to bid farewell to each in turn. This episode is not recommended for diabetics.British TVLife on MarsEpisodes 7 and 8 The final two episodes bring everything to a more or less satisfactory close. There are no big revelations here although it does attempt a twist that Sam’s 1973 life is the real one but it only puts doubt in Sam’s mind, not the viewers' (surely all it was really intended to do).John Simm is brilliant in the season finale, both in the 1973 fantasy world and the here and now. He’s a man torn between friends he knows aren’t real and a real world that seems far duller than the fantasy world he’s been living in. The ending may go on a little too long, it would have been better to finish with the rooftop jump, but that’s a minor complaint. This has been an quirky drama series that’s rarely hit a bum note and one that didn’t outstay it’s welcome wisely bringing things to a conclusion after two seasons.The planned spin off sounds like a bad idea though.

TV Review: New Series Drive Puts the Pedal to the Metal

Ian Woolstencroft — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:27:00 EDT

It’s customary for me to add new shows to my regular monthly TV round-up, but just occasionally a series comes along that won’t wait, that demands attention now. A show that makes you want to do the written equivalent of jump up and down, wave your hands in the air and shout “HEY! LOOK AT THIS!” Drive is just such a show. The idea is simple enough – it’s The Cannonball Run without the laughs, an illegal cross country race where the prize is $32 million and not all the participants are competing of their own volition. As you’d expect there’s plenty of action with many of the race sequences looking more like a Hollywood blockbuster than something you’d see on a weekly TV series, but what makes the show essential viewing is the characters. The first episode concentrates on Nathan Fillion’s Alex Tully, whose wife is kidnapped to force him into joining the race. Much like Tully, the viewer feels like he’s playing catch-up, as events move at the same breakneck pace as the racers on the freeway. Tully has no time to think, he must drive or his wife will die and the audience has no time to question -- we’re in the passenger seat along for the ride. With the exception of the slightly unhinged battered wife and recent mother Wendy Patrakas, the rest of the cast are little more than ciphers in the first episode, but there’s only so much you can fit into 40+ minutes and it was wise of the producers not to try and cram too much in. Melanie Lynskey of Heavenly Creatures fame left the sitcom Two and a Half Men to join the ensemble cast of Drive and based on her showing so far, it was a wise move. She brings a ditsy charm to Wendy and the show plays on that for the surprise ending to episode one. The opening narration of the pilot implied that the race has existed as long as there have been cars and in "Partners" we see a little of the race’s history, with the climax to the race twenty-seven years previous. Kristin Lehman’s character gets some fleshing out; her reason for wanting in on the race is revealed, as is her reason for picking Tully to join forces with. The other characters also get a little more meat on their bones, with the slightly slower pace allowing the writers a little breathing room. With the third episode they find the perfect balance, juggling the cast of characters so well that they all get their moment to shine. The father/daughter relationship of John and Violet Trimble deepens as does that of half-brothers Sean and Winston Salazar. It’s only AWOL soldier Rob Laird and wife Ellie who aren’t quite firing on all cylinders yet but they are improving. Of course the real star of the show is Fillion. An actor with the charisma of a movie star, when he’s onscreen he’s always the centre of attention. The third episode "Let the Games Begin" brings a surprise revelation about Mr Tully and Nathan sells it to you so well you wonder why you didn’t see it coming. Producer Tim Minear hasn’t had much luck when it comes to TV shows. Firefly burned brightly but was extinguished after only 15 episodes. Wonderfalls and The Inside fared no better. But Fox clearly think they’re onto a winner here, giving the show a big promotional push and clearly not skimping on the budget, so here’s hoping this will be the show that breaks Minear’s bad luck streak. It certainly deserves to be.

TV Review: March Round-Up, Including New Shows Blood Ties, Raines, and The Riches

Ian Woolstencroft — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 14:53:54 EDT

US TV24"Day 6: 5pm – 9pm"With Wayne Palmer out of action, Vice President Daniels (Powers Booth) assumes power. Daniels is so right wing he makes George Bush look like a Democrat, and with a nuclear arsenal at his disposal he can’t wait to push the button. You have to wonder how Wayne got elected with the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler on the same ticket. Booth has clearly been allowed to be as over the top as he wants and he’s having a ball; what actor wouldn’t, given a psychotic world leader to play? Luckily Wayne comes out of his coma in the nick of time.Having shown a little backbone, Lennox has suddenly turned into an invertebrate again. Or is he just hoping to keep loopy Daniels in check? Time will tell, but Peter MacNicol certainly excels at playing a sniveling toady.Jack gets in a spot of bother in the Russian embassy but thankfully Ricky Schroder is on hand to rescue him. Having now reached the age at which he no longer worries about Ricky making him sound like a kid (he’s been going by Rick prior to 24), Schroder makes a favourable impression on this viewer almost instantly by getting Morris in a chokehold. He lets him go but at least his heart's in the right place. In fact, Ricky’s character, Mike Doyle, seems like a younger, better looking Jack Bauer. More than willing to get a little rough while performing an interrogation, he’s also not afraid to do the right thing, plus he’ll even bend the rules a little (though admittedly not to Bauer levels).The answer to what happened to Audrey finally arrives (we all knew something was coming, right?) and it turns out she’s dead. Jack suspects foul play by the Chinese and no doubt in the time he has to spare from foiling the nuclear threat he’ll get to the bottom of it.Let’s not forget Charles Logan! I mean who saw that coming? Just about everyone except the people in the room with Logan and his wacky knife wielding ex-wife.Kiefer, obviously a tad bored with Jack Bauer, decides he wants the Tom Cruise role in Rainman 2: Nuclear Terror as he gets all touchy-feely with an autistic man. Hopefully he'll be back to being a real hard bastard next week. Battlestar Galactica“Maelstrom”Starbuck starts seeing nonexistent Cylon raiders, on top of the weird visions about the strange pattern she painted in her home on Caprica. This is very much a Kara Thrace episode and Katee Sackhoff rises to the challenge, giving real depth to the tortured, self-loathing Viper pilot. It may be a little clichéd making her an abused child but it’s so well executed and downright moving that it’s easy to forgive. The shocking ending was clearly never going to be the end of Kara and it wasn’t much of a surprise when she returned for the season finale.“The Son Also Rises”Baltar’s trial causes a rift between father and son as Lee opts to take an active role in the former president's defence council. The episode culminates with a confrontation between Lee and Admiral Adama that shows the pent-up rage between the two characters. I fear it will be glossed over far too quickly and the status quo returned though.“Crossroads, Part 1”The first part of the big season finale again focuses on Baltar’s trial and once again has me wondering how the hell does Colonel Tigh keep his job? Michael Hogan plays him brilliantly but having such a high profile figure so often inebriated stretches believability, particularly when he takes the witness stand while fully fueled. The episode is well acted but one can’t help feeling that the legal system is a little too Earthlike, and Apollo swapping his uniform for a suit and tie just accentuates that. Good drama, yes, but not good SF.“Crossroads, Part 2”There are many (supposedly) shocking moments in this episode but do they make any sense? Let’s take the four of the final five Cylons who are revealed here – Anders, Col. Tigh, Chief Tyrol, and Tory. The first three were the foremost leaders of the resistance back on New Caprica, yet now it’s revealed they were Cylons? This gives the impression the Cylons are a tad dumb, with the left hand not knowing what the right is doing. Add to that the fact that Tyrol and Cally have a child, thus making all the fuss about baby Hera pretty pointless and you have an ending that seems to have been devised merely for the highest shock value.The other two surprises failed to shock. It was pretty obvious Baltar was going to get off and that Adama would be the judge that acquits him, thus neatly healing the rift with Apollo. And Starbuck makes her expected return at the end (what, you didn’t see it coming?) and says she knows the way to earth. Lets just hope the writers know a way out of this mess. I can’t wait to find out how Bob Dylan got all the way out there. Blood Ties"Blood Price"Aiming for the Buffy/Angel audience, this new show failed to deliver in almost every area. Like Sci-Fi’s Dresden Files, this is based on a series of books and has a very similar cheap look to that show. I’ve never read the books (so if you want a fan's perspective you’ll have to look elsewhere) but based on this pilot episode, I’m left with no desire to.Let’s look at what’s wrong first; we’ll save the show's one positive till the end. Apart from the rather ugly look the show has, it also falls short when it comes to action scenes. Buffy and Angel showed it was possible to do good action on a reasonable budget. Here we get another vampire who knows kung fu, but unlike Joss Whedon’s shows we have to take an observer's word for it, as the vamp moves too fast for us to get more than a glimpse of what’s going on. Of course you could argue this is the idea and that the show is aiming to be more character-driven and less action-centric than similar shows that have gone before. Or it could be it allows them to do a fight scene on the cheap.For a show like this to be good it really needs good villains as well as good leads. That’s what it needs -- what it gets are a couple of characters who would be more at home in a Christmas pantomime. And a piece of advice to the producers – giving your “big bad” Marty Feldman eyes is a really bad idea.So what did it get right? Well the central love triangle of PI Vicki Nelson, vampire Henry Fitzroy, and Police Detective Mike Cellucci works quite well, although that has more to do with charismatic leads than great writing. How they’ll get around having all Vicki’s cases now involve the paranormal will be interesting. Buffy had the Hellmouth and Angel was a PI of sorts, but Fitzroy is a graphic novelist. If they mixed things up a little and had some regular investigations amongst the supernatural ones this could actually be quite interesting and even a little original. It’s just a shame that originality doesn’t seem to be something the producers are interested in.Criminal Minds"Ashes and Dust"The BAU’S investigation into a serial arsonist sees Aaron Hotchner get a little more emotionally involved than normal. Of course that’s not hard as “Hotch” is probably the most coldly analytical member of the team. What gets to him here is a dying father who’s never had the time to spend with his son. It’s something Hotchner can easily identify with as he’s called away from home at a moment's notice to investigate some new heinous act. Thomas Gibson doesn’t go too far -- sudden displays of emotion would be too out of character to work. Instead he shows everything with subtle expressions. It works brilliantly. Particularly poignant is the exchange with the man’s son that closes the episode. This may not be one of the series' outstanding episodes but it’s possibly Gibson’s finest hour.CSI“Empty Eyes”A horrific murder scene featuring multiple victims is just the start of this powerful episode. Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) is the focus of the episode. Losing her customary detachment after finding one of the victims still breathing but unable to do anything to save her, she’s determined to bring the culprit to justice. Sara is often the most dispassionate member of the team and this makes a nice change of pace for the character and it’s an opportunity Fox clearly enjoys. There’s also a twist ending that, while not totally unexpected, does bring the episode to a nice close and allows Sara a confrontation with the killer.Heroes“Parasite”The twists continue as this intricately plotted series begins to build towards its conclusion. It’s impossible to believe that this hasn’t all been planned from the start as things begin to fall neatly into place. Mrs. Petrelli clearly knows about her son's powers and that Clara is his daughter, Nathan working with the FBI... there are so many revelations it’s hard to keep track of everything. The cliff-hanger ending is the finest the series has so far pulled off and leaves one waiting with bated breath for the next installment of what is one of the finest shows currently on TV. Lost“Enter 77”Sayid may be the central character in this episode but guest star Andrew Divoff steals the show. We don’t really learn much of consequence about Sayid in the flashback scenes so it’s up to the rescue team of Locke, Kate, Danielle Rousseau, and Sayid to hold our attention and with the help of Divoff they pull it off. There are no major revelations this week as the team looking for Jack stumble across a base that appears to belong to the DHARMA Initiative, but appearances can be deceptive. An eye patch-wearing Divoff is in charge of the base and he makes a menacing villain. A ping-pong match between Sawyer and Hurley on the beach provides a little light relief. “Par Avion”A big revelation this week as we discover that Clara is Jack’s half-sister. The way the characters' back stories are starting to interconnect, you get the feeling that at least that part of the story must have had some planning put into it. The rest of the episode is fairly mundane, with Clare coming up with an idea to use migrating birds to get them rescued and Desmond once again using his ability to see the future to save Charlie. “The Man From Tallahassee”The final piece in the Locke back-story is revealed as we find out how he ended up in a wheelchair. If Jack Bauer thinks his dad is bad he should thank god he’s not John Locke. Not content with stealing his kidney he pushes the guy out a window and the resulting fall cripples him. Locke has, off and on, been my favourite character in the series but he’s not been at his best recently. Thankfully that changes here as Terry O’Quinn gives a powerful performance as the one survivor who has good reason not to want to leave the island. Locke and Ben have some revealing exchanges and the final revelation is superbly done.“Exposé”An excellent episode that could almost stand on its own and feels like a Tales from the Crypt story. The back-story of Nikki and Paulo is told and we relive key moments from the crash up to the present through their eyes. Culminating in a blackly comic final scene this is an episode that anyone can enjoy, not just fans of the show. It serves no purpose in the bigger picture but it was a fun way to spend an hour.Raines“Pilot”It’s appropriate that this series takes its name from the lead character as it’s very much a throwback to the '70s when almost every cop show took its name from the central character – Columbo, Cannon, Kojak… the list goes on. The rest of the cast aren’t really fleshed out and (like those '70s shows) it stands or falls on the strength of its lead actor. Jeff Goldblum is clearly up to the task, making Raines funny, quick-witted, and charismatic. The twist with this series, its gimmick, is that Raines sees and talks to the murder victims. They’re really only figments of his imagination, allowing him to put the pieces of the crimes together, but they provide a source of both comedy and drama that this pilot episode takes full advantage of. Alexa Davalos as this week’s victim holds her own against the seasoned Goldblum. She’s so good in fact that you almost don’t want him to solve the crime. A great first episode of what promises to be a refreshingly old fashioned series.“Meet Juan Doe”This time the victim is a Mexican man who crossed the border illegally with his wife and baby. The mystery of why he crossed the border comes as no surprise; the idea of a hitman traveling with family in tow is far too ridiculous to be believed. The ending overdoes it on the emotional front and leaves you wondering how the series (and Raines himself) would fare if he has to investigate a murder where the victim got what was coming to them. Hopefully it’s something we’ll find out soon. The episode also introduces Madeleine Stowe as the psychiatrist Raines is ordered to see. It’s a relatively small part and one that seems unlikely to grow so it’s a little surprising that a “name” actress like Stowe would go for it.“Reconstructing Alice”After dealing with illegal immigrants last time the series turns its attention to the homeless for this third episode. It has its moments thanks mainly to the ever watchable Goldblum but it’s hard to see a bright future for a series that ends each week with such an overdose of sentimentality.The Riches“Pilot”I wanted to like this series as I’m a fan of both Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver. I wanted to like it, I really tried to like it, but ultimately I failed. Its uneven mix of comedy and drama is one reason; it’s clearly trying for a similar blend to The Sopranos but falls way short. The concept is both too contrived and too unbelievable; it would work fine as a half-hour sitcom but for a one hour drama series you have to believe in the situations, not to mention the characters. And it’s the characters that are another major stumbling block; we are supposed to believe that Izzard’s Wayne Malloy can play golf like a pro and quotes Socrates when arguing with his wife (something I doubt even Socrates did). Izzard and Driver both try very hard and Driver is particularly good as the junkie jailbird wife but all their hard work is for nothing if we can’t suspend disbelief. A shame.“Believe the Lie”My second attempt at this show fared no better. This time Izzard adds expert marksman to his list of accomplishments and one wonders if there is anything he can’t do. It’s clear that the series is trying to show that these travelers are just like us, with the female neighbour who knows how to break into a house and also supplies Driver with drugs a clear indication of this. Ultimately, though, The Riches left me with the same feeling such people elicit in real life, namely that we don’t really want them living anywhere near us but when they’re not around we don’t really give them much thought. You don’t have to like the characters to enjoy a series but you do have to feel something, and this series just left me with a feeling of apathy.UK TVLife on MarsEpisodes 4-6More nostalgic '70s fun as Sam goes undercover at a wife-swapping party in order to find a killer with Annie as his wife in episode four. Things get a little more serious next as Sam must find a man’s wife and daughter who’ve been kidnapped by someone hoping to force the police to reopen an investigation into a young girl’s murder. Next racism rears its head again, and Sam has a personal involvement as one of the targets is the mother of his girlfriend in the present. The series features a perfect mix of comedy and drama (the writers of The Riches should take note) and pitch perfect performances. John Simm doesn’t get to have as much fun as his co-stars but his performance is at the heart of the show; with a lesser actor in the lead it would all fall flat. That’s not to say that Philip Glenister isn’t important, in fact he’s probably as responsible for the show's success as Simm, maybe more so. Plus he gets all the best lines – “You great, soft, sissy, girly, nancy, French bender, Man United-supporting puff!” must go down as one of TV’s great insults.PrimevalEpisodes 4-6The first season of ITV’s attempt to win the BBC’s Doctor Who audience with its own primetime SF series comes to a close. This could so easily have been a “monster of the week” show but thanks to some excellent writing and fine performances from all the leads it’s been much more than that. In many ways this is the show Torchwood should have been and shows that you don’t need sex and bad language to tell a more adult story; in fact, of the two, this is the more mature, devoid of Torchwood’s juvenile obsession with its characters sex lives/orientation, preferring instead to just tell a damn good tale. To top it off it ends with the mother of all cliffhangers. Roll on season two!

TV Review: February Round-Up - 24, CSI, Heroes, Lost and More

Ian Woolstencroft — Wed, 7 Mar 2007 07:36:16 EST

US TV February is Star Trek geek month -- don’t worry, I’ll explain why as we go along. 24 "Day 6: 12pm – 5pm" Poor old Jack, his family makes the Borgias look like the Waltons. His brother was bad enough, but dear old dad just about takes the biscuit. James Cromwell hasn’t been this convincingly nasty since L.A. Confidential. I’m hoping that Morris will fall into his clutches soon and Bauer Sr. can put a bullet in him and save us all from his incessant whining. Still, at least Milo showed some backbone, fighting off the bad guys until the cavalry (in the form of Jack “Nick of Time” Bauer) arrived. Mr Lennox has also shown a little more spirit, standing up to the would-be presidential assassins. Of course being a little guy, this just resulted in him being tied up and gagged, but it’s the thought that counts. Then we have ex-president Logan -- just what is he planning? The series has had its usual quota of ridiculous plot twists but the action has been a little lacking this year. Still Morris got tortured so it’s not all bad. Battlestar Galactica “The Woman King” Sometimes it seems that Helo is the only truly decent person on Galactica and this episode certainly gives weight to that idea. Bruce Davison makes a guest appearance as a doctor with a grudge and only Helo suspects something is not right when his patients start dying. The episode isn’t afraid to show some of the main characters in an unflattering light, particularly Adama and Tigh, although the latter isn’t much of a surprise. Davison is good as the doctor and Tahmoh Penikett relishes having the spotlight turned on Helo, giving his best performance so far. “A Day in the Life” This was a little on the dull side. Chief Tyrol and Cally get stuck in an airlock while Adama mopes about, thinking of his ex-wife on their anniversary. There are some nice character moments between Adama and Lee but the lack of action makes for a painfully slow pace. The episode also highlights something that I find incredibly annoying. I can accept that the civilians' fashions are far too earth-like, or that the cigarettes the doctor is always smoking look like Marlboros. I can and do accept all that and more UNTIL they go and do something to try and convince me how different things are. What did they do? They cut the corners off books! My god how strange, how otherworldly, how ALIEN! Someone please explain the point of this to me. “Dirty Hands” This week Chief Tyrol gets upset when he sees the working conditions on one of the fleet’s ships and calls a strike. Aaron Douglas outdoes himself as Tyrol and the episode brings to light some hidden resentments and highlights the colonies' class system. It also shows Adama (again) and President Roslin in a harsh light, while Baltar is shown to be more sympathetic than before. The ending, however, feels like a cop-out with everything sorted by the time the credits roll. The series is often at its best when it mirrors real world events but this marks three episodes in a row without a Cylon and that’s pushing things a bit far. Criminal Minds “The Big Game” James Van Der Beek is this week’s serial killer, murdering wealthy couples in their homes. It’s a good episode with the cast all on excellent form but as the first part of a two-part story, it really only serves to set things up for the cliff-hanger ending that puts Dr Reid in the killer's hands. “Revelations” With Reid in the killer’s clutches it’s a race against time to save him. James Van Der Beek is surprisingly good as the killer who suffers from multiple personalities but the real star is Matthew Gray Gubler as Reid. His character really gets put through the wringer and the repercussions are still being felt. This episode really highlights why the series has improved this year; putting as much emphasis on the characters as on the plot has really paid dividends. “Fear and Loathing” This is a more by the numbers episode than recent entries, with only the racism angle setting this apart. It feels like someone’s read that serial killers are mostly but not always white males and decided to give us a black killer. The cast do their best but they really have little to work with. The worst episode of this season. “Distress” I think this is the first time the series has had us rooting for the killer, a war veteran suffering from PTSD who thinks he’s back in a war zone. It’s up to the BAU to find him before the local police do. You get the feeling almost from the start that things will end badly but you’re hoping against hope that you’ll be wrong. There’s always a sense of sadness about Gideon but this episode you really feel the weight he bears. Mandy Patinkin is never less than good but his work at the end here is stunning. He doesn’t have to say anything, we read it all in Gideon’s face. “Jones” This is similar to "Fear and Loathing" but instead of a black serial killer we have a female one. It’s better than that episode, although it could have done without the overused Jack the Ripper copycat idea. The ultimate responsibility for the murders falls to a cop, who, while not doing the killing, is indirectly responsible for them and the message is clearly that the law must treat everyone equally. As with "Distress" we feel some sympathy for the killer and the resolution is nicely played out. Also notable in this episode is the introduction of a possible love interest for JJ; whether this will be followed up remains to be seen. CSI “Meet Market” The new guy again gets the better of the two stories this week as Keppler investigates the black market sales of body parts. Right from the start, when he opens an umbrella found inside a dead body, spattering Doc Robbins with blood and deadpans, “That's bad luck, isn't it?” you know you’re on to a winner. In another memorable moment he observes that Grissom’s habit of collecting things fits the profile of a serial killer. Any other week Catherine’s investigation into how a woman was murdered by her long lost son would have kept my attention but with Liev Schreiber in such fine form she just can’t compete. “Law of Gravity” Grissom returns but his comeback is overshadowed by Keppler’s exit. And what an exit! This ranks as one of the show's finest episodes in its seven-year run, a blend of hard-boiled detective story and clinical CSI investigation. In just a few short weeks Liev Schreiber won me over to such an extent that I was moved to tears by Keppler’s final scene. “Monster in the Box” And finally the box! It’s been sitting on Grissom’s desk for weeks, tormenting us and at last the wait is over. But, while the contents may have been revealed, the mystery has only gotten deeper. A nice guest appearance by Kathleen Quinlan and a good, if not entirely unexpected twist ending help alleviate the lack of closure. I get the feeling the killer will not be revealed until the season finale. I just hope it will be worth the wait. Time for the first Star Trek geek alert - Kobayashi Maru is Hodges' cat and the name comes from a starship in a training exercise in Star Trek. “Fallen Idols” This is the sort of excellent story that CSI does week in week out, unfortunately coming after two excellent episodes it seems a little duller than it really is. The identity of the killer isn’t even a surprise. Guest star Laura Harris is wasted as the photography teacher with a thing for one of her students; she’s clearly a red herring (sort of) from the start. Disappointing but far from bad. Heroes “Distractions” An episode that builds towards the supposedly shocking revelation of Clair’s father; the thing is, for it to be a surprise we know it must be someone we’ve already encountered and only a couple of guys fit the bill – Claude and Nathan. The best moments this week are Sylar’s as he sits in Mr Bennet’s kitchen chatting to his wife with murder on his mind. I like Ali Larter but the Niki plot strand is dragging at the moment; still, I’m confident that will change. It’s time for the second (and last) Star Trek geek alert – the license plate of George “Mr Sulu” Takei is NCC-1701, which is of course the serial number of the Enterprise. “Run!” This is one of those “not much happens” episodes; this concentrates on Matt as he turns first security guard and then jewel thief. The focus is also on Niki as the mysterious Mr Linderman orders her to murder one of his employees who just happens to be the guy Matt’s guarding. Some nice action scenes keep things moving along. Nathan is once again at the centre of the cliffhanger ending as Linderman sets him up as Niki’s next target. “Unexpected” Matt and Ted the radioactive man get reunited and the pace really starts to pick up. The characters stories become ever more closely intertwined; Mr Bennet encounters several of the main players this week and ultimately ends up along with his family in the hands of Matt and Ted. It becomes clearer with every chapter just how well this story has been mapped out and while Hiro’s and Niki’s storyline may seem a little distant from the main plot, the reality I think will be very different. In Sylar the series has an excellent villain, an emotional void with a unquenchable thirst for power. The ending shows just how confident the series has become in telling its tale, leaving us with a leading character who may be dead, not just for one week, but for two as the following episode tightens the focus to just a few of the main ensemble. “Company Man” A spectacularly good episode, this is the series' current high water mark. The structure, jumping from flashback to present day, works magnificently with Jack Coleman as Mr Bennet giving one of the finest performances I’ve seen in a weekly TV show. Bennet has been something of a bogeyman all season but in just forty-odd minutes Coleman turns all that on its head. We don’t excuse the bad things he’s done -- in fact we see him do more as (in flashback) he shoots Claude, but none of that matters. It’s about a man and his love for his daughter and vice versa as both risk their lives for each other. It’s the sign of a good series when it can tap into your emotions well enough to bring a tear to your eye and this was the second show this month that had be blubbering. Lost “Not in Portland” Juliet's past gets a little light shined on it this week and at least on the surface she appears the noble doctor, but things are not always what they seem on this show. She’s already shown a ruthless streak and it’s a given that there will be more twists to her tale. While there's a lot of running around for Sawyer and Kate, not much really happens and after an excellent start to the season the show seems to be treading water. “Flashes Before Your Eyes” An excellent episode as Desmond’s secret is revealed but that only serves to deepen the mystery. Episodes like this one are a joy to watch, particularly as Henry Ian Cusick is so good as Desmond, a man who’s as puzzled as the viewer as to what’s going on. The problem is, I’m left wondering if the writers weren’t as confused as Desmond and I were. “Stranger in a Strange Land” Last year Jack was one of my least favourite characters, this year he’s turned that feeling on its head. Here we learn some more of his past and the secret of his tattoo, a souvenir of his visit to Thailand. There is something inscrutable about Jack and it serves to make him immensely likeable or intensely annoying by turns. He’s also incredibly pigheaded which can also be a blessing and a curse and I wouldn’t take bets that he won't be on my least favourite list again by the end of the season. “Tricia Tanaka is Dead” A feel-good episode starring the master of disaster Hurley and introducing us to Hurley’s dad played by Cheech Marin. Nothing of consequence happens (or at least seems to) with the exception of the ending, but it will put a smile on your face all the same. Jorge Garcia has created in Hurley a character everyone loves, he’s impossible to dislike. Like CSI and Heroes, this episode strikes an emotional chord but a far happier one. Masters of Horror "Dream Cruise" As with the final episode last season, this year finishes with a Japanese director at the helm. There are a couple of things that separate this from the first season’s "Imprint" though. Firstly this one actually aired ("Imprint" was deemed too shocking for American TV, even cable) and secondly Takashi Miike is a famous (or infamous) Japanese director while Norio Tsuruta is a nobody who’s most well known film, Ring 0: Birthday, is by a long way the worst film in that franchise. Taken from a short story by Ring author Kôji Suzuki there is far too much going on here. We get a homicidally jealous husband, his dead first wife coming back for revenge while he’s trying to bump off wife number two. Add to this the ghostly dead brother of the man the second wife was having an affair with and you get an episode that’s bursting at the seams with ideas. The problem is the whole thing feels as if it was created backwards, as if it was built around the twist ending and it’s a twist that doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Things aren’t helped by Naoya Takayama’s script; had it been written in Japanese it would probably have been fine but the English dialogue comes across stilted and false and it’s made worse by two of the lead actors clearly not being particularly comfortable in English. A disappointing end to a disappointing second season. UK TV Life on Mars Episodes 1-3 Returning for a second series, this retro detective series with a twist (the whole thing may be a hallucination of the lead character) gets off to a slow start with a straightforward murder investigation but hints that that there may be more going on with Sam Tyler than previously thought. Things pick up with episodes two and three as the series shines a light on the nostalgic golden years of '70s Britain and finds they weren’t all that great after all. While the series parodies '70s cop shows like The Sweeney in also brings home some of the prejudices of the time. Episode two focuses on racism and highlights how Blacks were treated then, a problem that was even prevalent in the police force. It’s the offhand way that the bigotry presents itself that’s most disturbing, like it was accepted behaviour (which at the time it was) with the minorities sometimes playing up to it so as not to rock the boat. The '70s was a particularly bad time in Northern Ireland and the third episode focuses on the prejudices just being Irish invoked, with arrests made based solely on where you were born, without evidence to back it up. The message of the episode is clear; this sort of treatment may have pushed honest Irishmen to join the IRA. Yet the series shows us all this and still manages to bring back fond memories of those times. As DI Gene Hunt, a violent, racist bully who makes The Sweeney's Jack Regan look like… well, Inspector Morse, Philip Glenister is brilliant. He takes this larger than life caricature and turns him into a human being, someone you may at times despise but who never fails to keep your attention. By contrast John Simm gets the less showy part of Sam Tyler. The opposite of Hunt, Tyler is moral, even-tempered (most of the time) and just an all round nice guy who you instinctively like. You’re rooting for him to get home, back to 2007 and yet and the same time you're not because if he leaves 1973 the series will end and it’s far too enjoyable to want that. Primeval Episodes 1-3 This new show from the British ITV channel is clearly looking for the same audience for family SF that the BBC showed was there with its successful re-launch of Doctor Who. The first episode borrows ideas from such disparate sources as Jurassic Park, canceled US TV show Surface and even Stargate and blends them together to create one of the best British SF series ever. The show deals with holes in time, the creatures that come through them to create chaos in the modern world, and the team whose job it is to minimise the danger. It’s brilliantly paced, giving us lots of action each week but also just enough of the mystery surrounding the “anomalies” to keep us hooked. Best of all it has a cast of truly likable characters; everyone from scientist Nick Cutter to the team nerd Connor Temple are both brilliantly written and wonderfully played. One reason for watching the show is to see the monster of the week, but you also want to know what happens to the team, not just with regard to the big story but also the internal dynamics of the group. You know you’re onto a winner when you can’t wait for the next episode and this has that feeling in spades (though not quite as much as Heroes).March promises to be a quieter month, with no CSI and only one episode of Heroes, so next month's round-up will be a little shorter.

TV Review: January Round-Up - 24, CSI, Heroes, And More

Ian Woolstencroft — Mon, 5 Feb 2007 12:54:55 EST

About six months ago, in my first article for BC Magazine, I wrote about my disillusionment with American TV due to the current predilection for long running stories that were never allowed to reach fruition. I stopped watching US TV shows completely, going cold turkey (at the time I had a fifteen shows per week habit). But, like Michael Corleone, “Just when I thought I was out they pulled me back in”. It’s no surprise that the series that drew me back in was NBC’s superhero show Heroes -- as a long time comic book junkie, it was impossible to resist. I also tried a few of the other new series, notably Jericho, Shark and Justice. Sadly Jericho failed to make the most of its interesting premise and Shark relied too much on the star power of James Woods at the expense of original stories and interesting characters. Only Justice grabbed my attention, with its did-they-or-didn’t-they stories that kept you guessing until the very end and Victor Garber as a lawyer who made Shark look like a goldfish. Of the three, Justice was the one that got canned, go figure. On top of the new shows I returned to some old favourites, though not quite to the level of my previous addiction. I’m currently watching seven ongoing series and trying some others when they pique my interest. So here’s what I’ve been watching in January. 24 “Day 6: 6am-12am” Jack’s back, cue explosive action scenes and absurdist plot twists. I don’t know why most people watch this show but for me it’s seeing how far Jack will go to get the job done and what outlandish events the scriptwriters will conspire to throw at him. Already this time we’ve seen Jack take out fellow CTU agent Curtis Manning and Jack’s father and brother tied into events that have put nuclear weapons into the hands of terrorists. Not to mention the revelation that the man behind the events of Day 5 was Jack’s brother. If anyone else had been released after twenty months as a Chinese prisoner they’d probably need help just walking but, after a quick haircut, shave and probably a manicure, Jack is still a match for any terrorist he comes across. Hell, he doesn’t even need to use his hands, he quite literally chews up terrorists and spits them out (luckily his Chinese captors never went to work on his teeth). The idea of a nuclear detonation on American soil is the biggest threat the show has ever presented and the sight of Jack standing looking at a mushroom cloud in the distance is one of the most memorable images I’ve seen on TV this year. It makes you wonder how they could top it for Day 7. Battlestar Galactica “Rapture” After over a month's wait for the conclusion of the two-part story that began with "The Eye of Jupiter" this is something of a letdown. Yes there is plenty of action as Apollo and his team hold off the attacking Cylons and even a little tension when Adama aims Galactica’s nukes at the planet daring the Cylons to call his bluff but at the end of the day we don’t really learn much. We get more talk of “the final five” without any revelations and Lucy Lawless gets decommissioned as Number 3. Yet the main purpose of the episode seems to be to return Baltar to Galactica. “Taking a Break from All Your Worries” At its best this series ranks as a high point in TV SF. Unfortunately this episode doesn’t present the series on top form. The interrogation of Baltar is excellent, with James Callis giving an exceptional performance as the ex-president pushed to his limits as Adama and company use any means to find out what he knows about the Cylons. Where the episode fails is when it concentrates of the relationship of Lee and Kara. Both characters have been weakened by the recent affair, with the viewers' sympathy firmly with their spouses. Apollo in particular has come across as a whiny wimp. This episode seems to be attempting to turn the clock back with both characters trying to mend their broken relationships. The main problem is that with everything else that’s going on, we don’t really care if they succeed or not. Criminal Minds “No Way Out” In its first season this was a good show; this year it’s become a great show. The main reason for the improvement has been a more character-centred approach to the stories with the members of the team being fleshed out into more rounded creations. This episode concentrates on Gideon as he has a battle of wits in a diner with Frank, a serial killer played by guest star Keith Carradine. Carradine’s character is no ordinary killer; as Gideon says he’s the “most prolific serial killer ever” and it’s a part Carradine clearly relishes. His scenes with Mandy Patinkin are a joy to watch, with two great actors going head to head. Their relationship recalls Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman in Seven and the episode even references that film when Frank says, “But you know what's an even more interesting question? What the psychopath's got in the bag, Jason.” This episode marks a high point for the show and the story's resolution leaves the way open for Carradine to return as Frank, something I for one would welcome. CSI “Leaving Las Vegas” While this episode focuses mainly on Catherine as she heads out of town in search of new evidence when a man she testifies against is found not guilty, it’s Grissom’s impending leave of absence that is really the core of the episode. It’s not that Willows’ investigations are any less interesting than normal (it’s the usual clever murder mystery), more that Grissom is the heart of the show and you can’t help wondering how the series will survive without him. While it’s only to be a four-week sabbatical at the moment, I get the feeling they are testing the water for a more long-term, maybe even permanent, absence for William Petersen’s modern day Sherlock Holmes. The arrival of a package addressed to Grissom that sits unopened on his desk implies that the model-making killer case that has featured in several episodes this season may not be over after all. Will its conclusion lead to Petersen’s exit? I hope not. “Sweet Jane” This episode marks the arrival of Liev Schreiber’s Michael Keppler, a character designed to fill the gap left by William Petersen. Thankfully, rather than creating a Grissom clone, the writers have gone the opposite route, making Keppler the anti-Grissom. Schreiber’s character goes more on gut instinct, trying to get into the mind of the killer in much the same way as a profiler. When Catherine calls him up on this he can’t see the difference. Catherine points out, in true Grissom style, that as CSIs they let the evidence tell the story. This week also sees Ned Beatty making a guest appearance as deadly dentist Dr. David Lowry. Beatty is a terrific actor and his final confession, where he shows a total lack of remorse at killing a number of young girls over a forty-year period, is the episode's highlight. Grissom may be gone but thanks to two big name guest stars the show weathered the first episode without him well. We’re left wanting to learn more about Keppler and that has to be a good thing. “Redrum” While his first episode left me intrigued, Schreiber really won me over with this one right from his first scene. Getting chewed out by Undersheriff McKeen, over a working breakfast with Catherine and Brass, Keppler is more interested in the waitress getting his eggs wrong than what McKeen is saying. He’s clearly not a guy to suck up to the boss and it’s probably the only character trait he shares with Grissom. Coming up with a plan to catch a missing murder suspect by using “reverse forensics” he convinces Catherine to go along. The only problem is the rest of the team have to be kept in the dark. It’s not long before Nick starts asking questions and, when he doesn’t get answers, he recruits the rest of the team for a little private investigation. This episode sows the seeds of inner turmoil within the group, with Stokes no longer trusting Catherine even after she explains the reason for the deception. Is Grissom’s team breaking apart in his absence? We’ll have to wait and see. One of the best things about the show is how, after the revelation that Grissom and Sara Sidle had a relationship at the end of last season, it hasn’t overplayed the storyline. This episode continues in that vein as Sara receives a bizarre gift from Gil in the mail. It’s a nice little scene that doesn’t get in the way of the main plot. And once again we see that mystery package on Grissom’s desk, foreshadowing things to come. The Dresden Files “Birds of a Feather” Imagine The Rockford Files crossed with DC Comics Constantine and you’ll have some idea what this show is aiming for. Harry Dresden is a wizard taking on paranormal cases and in this pilot episode he’s dealing with a monster in a kid’s closet. It’s hard to believe how dated this series feels. With its cheap look, underdeveloped characters, and clichéd performances, it would have felt right at home in the eighties. As Dresden, Paul Blackthorne shows none of the charisma he brought to Stephen Saunders, the villain in the third season of 24. The British actor does a decent American accent but that’s about the only good thing I can say about his portrait of the annoyingly smug Dresden. Expect this to have a short life span. “The Boone Identity” I like to give new shows a chance and rarely condemn them on one episode alone; unfortunately this second outing is even worse than the pilot. This time it’s a young girl’s ghost Harry has to help find peace and to do it he has to find a body-hopping criminal. The outcome is never in doubt and we’re several steps ahead of Dresden as the dim-witted wizard takes forever to put the pieces together. This is a BAD show with absolutely nothing to recommend it and I won’t be wasting any more of my time on it. Heroes “Godsend” A welcome return after a six-week absence for one of the season's best new shows; unfortunately most of the running time is spent going over things we already know. Mind reader Matt fills his wife in on his abilities, indestructible cheerleader Clare jumps off the water tower again to show Zach what she can do after her Dad wiped his memory, and Niki fills her lawyer in on the fact she’s sharing head space with her dead sister. This makes this a perfect jumping on point for new viewers (surely what it was designed for) but a little frustrating for those of us who’ve been there from the start. Luckily it does have something new to offer in the shape of Christopher Eccelston as the appropriately named Claude, who may be the key to saving the world. Claude, you see (or rather don’t), has the power to become invisible and he’s been appearing in Peter’s dreams. Peter thinks he's the key to saving the world but the fact that in the dream he’s seen laughing like a madman while Peter goes boom may suggest otherwise. “The Fix” Now this is more like it! This time we find out a little more about Claude as it's revealed that Peter isn’t the only superpowered person he’s had contact with. Eccelston, thankfully not attempting an American accent, gives an enjoyably animated performance as Claude. Recently, my favourite character, Hiro has become a little annoying. His quest for the sword to restore his powers seems a little silly and at odds with the SF nature of the rest of the series. He’s no less annoying in this episode but things are looking up as he’s delivered into the intimidating presence of his father, played by Star Trek’s George Takei. The episode also sees a return to the series' previously perfect cliff-hanger endings as Sylar comes face to face with an unsuspecting and unprotected Mr. Bennet. Who’d have though seven days could seem so long? Masters of Horror “Right to Die” One has to wonder what qualifications are needed to become a master of horror. The director responsible for this entry in the series is Bob Schmidt, a name that may not be overly familiar to horror fans. Schmidt directed Wrong Turn, an enjoyable backwoods cannibal movie, but hardly something that puts him on the same standing as horror legends John Carpenter or Dario Argento. Having said that, he does a good job on this supernatural tale. When married couple Cliff and Abby are involved in a car accident that leaves Abby horribly burned, Cliff’s first reaction is to have the life support machines turned off to end her suffering. It becomes clear however, after she flat-lines, that Abby is due a little payback and the only thing stopping her from getting it is being alive. Cliff is forced to keep her alive because if she dies, so will he. Martin Donavan gives a good performance as the philandering Cliff and the episode also features a hammy turn from Corbin Bernsen as Cliff’s sleazy lawyer. Not the best the series has offered, but far from the worst. “We All Scream for Ice Cream” Tom Holland’s adaptation of John Farris’ short story has a very Stephen King feel to it. With flashbacks to events from the lead character's childhood that have repercussions in the present day and a bad guy dressed as a clown, this feels like It lite. Thankfully Holland manages to craft plenty of suspense from the somewhat flimsy story of an ice cream seller who comes back from the grave to get revenge on those responsible for his untimely (if accidental) death. This also ranks as one of the grossest episodes as his method of revenge is to dissolve the culprits into puddles of ice cream. Yes I know it sounds silly and it is, but it’s to Holland’s credit that he pulls it off as well as he does. All in all another middling episode of a disappointing second season. “The Black Cat” The high water mark of the second season, but that should come as no surprise given that it reunites the Re-Animator team of director Stuart Gordon and actor Jeffrey Combs. This time these true masters of horror turn their attention to Edgar Allen Poe’s oft-filmed tale. Rather than just doing the story as it’s been done before they’ve entwined it with the life of Poe, creating something far more enjoyable than a straight adaptation. Combs plays Poe as a drunken poet compelled to sell lurid tales of death to make ends meet and care for his sick wife. When he finds himself unable to write, his wife’s cat becomes the focus of his rage. With a plot that twists and turns so that you don’t know where reality ends and the fantasies of the increasingly unhinged Poe begin, this is as fine a crafted piece of horror as the series has ever put out. Combs is in great form as Poe and it’s thanks to his superb performance that the episode works so well. He’s done madness and obsession before but he’s never been quite as convincing as he is here. Stuart Gordon is one of the most underrated horror directors and one of the few that improves with age. While Carpenter’s and Argento’s best work is behind them, Gordon is still making great films like 2003’s King of the Ants and it comes as no surprise that he handles this period piece so well. As with his best work, it manages that fine balance of comedy and horror that few directors achieve. “The Washingtonians” After the high of "The Black Cat" comes the ultimate low. Peter Medak is another director who seems under-qualified to be called a master of horror. Perhaps someone out there considers Species ll a classic. George Washington was a cannibal who liked eating children and was responsible for a cult who continue such practices today. That is the essence of the story. Is it a horror story? A satire? A comedy? A spoof? A comment on current US politics? No, in the inept hands of Mr Medak it is one thing and one thing only – a mess. With performances that range from dull to the truly awful this is much like passing a traffic accident – you don’t want to look but once you have you can’t look away. It seems unfair to single out a child for special attention but Julia Tortolano’s performance as the youngest member of the family terrorised by the Washingtonians is so mind blowingly bad I feel it’s a public service to warn any potential viewers. If there is a season three, one hopes the producers will be a little less free in selecting directors. Perhaps a questionnaire, starting with “Have you ever made a good horror film?” That one would have weeded Mr Medak out.Next month another show I've gone back to returns - Lost is back, plus all the usual suspects.

TV Review: Jericho - Episode 2 - "Fallout"

Ian Woolstencroft — Wed, 1 Nov 2006 19:04:38 EST

There’s zero subtlety about this show. This episode starts with the Stars and Stripes still flying over city hall and the whole series is pervaded with a sense of gung-ho “we will overcome all obstacles to survive” bullshit. There have been at least two nuclear detonations in major cities, yet there’s no feeling of the terror that would surely ensue from this kind of scenario.Fallout’s coming to Jericho, and while the message of the episode seems to be that small town America isn’t ready for this kind of event, it’s lost in its celebration of good ol’ American ingenuity.There isn’t enough room in the town's one working shelter for everyone, yet we never feel any sense of urgency. We don’t doubt for a second that they will come up with a solution. Last week's hero, Jake Green, once again saves the day with his clever idea of using the local mine shaft. Instead of asking ourselves if they'll make it in time, we’re wondering if we care.Jake’s brother's confrontation with a bunch of morons in a bar was clearly only written to allow him to expound on the effect fallout will have if they don’t find shelter.The characters need fleshing out into real people instead of the cardboard cut-outs we have so far. Jake doing a bit of bonding with the schoolteacher from last week is about as much character development as we get.Jake’s last minute rescue of Emily, who’s being held hostage by a couple of escaped cons, provides a brief moment of action and even a slight feeling of urgency. It doesn’t last long, though, and when it’s over, the potential threat provided by the criminals is over for good.Big city cop Robert Hawkins is keeping a radio broadcast he picked up to himself, but the final scene lets us in on the secret. He’s putting pins in a map and it’s clear what those pins signify. As well as Denver and Atlanta, we now know Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Diego have been hit. We see him pick up several more pins, although where he puts them is still unknown.This should really be a horror series. Instead, it’s a feel good drama. I’ll give it one more week in the hopes things pick up and because I’m mildly intrigued by why Hawkins is keeping the extent of the devastation to himself.

TV Review: Torchwood - Episode 1 "Everything Changes"

Ian Woolstencroft — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 17:12:38 EDT

Torchwood is the BBC’s new adult Doctor Who spin off. Created by Who producer Russell T. Davies, it deals with a secret organization that investigates extraterrestrial and paranormal activity.Based in Cardiff (there’s a dimensional rift there that makes it a centre of otherworldly activity) is Torchwood 3, the homebase of our crack team of investigators. Torchwood 1 was in London until its destruction at the end of the second season of Doctor Who, Torchwood 2 is in Scotland and we’re informed that Torchwood 4 is currently missing. Whether any of this will play a part in future adventures is anyone’s guess, but it does give Torchwood a larger scope than just the one base staffed by five people that’s at the centre of this series. Russell T. Davies’s scripts for Doctor Who have, overall, been the weaker stories, so my high expectations were somewhat tempered before watching Torchwood. Thankfully, unencumbered by the restrictions of making a primetime family series, he’s created a first rate pilot episode.Focusing on Gwen Cooper, a young police officer, gives the audience someone to identify with in much the same way as Rose Tyler did on Who. She starts the episode as an outsider, first encountering the group at a murder site. While her fellow officers are willing to just let things go when Torchwood arrive on the scene she decides to investigate further, eventually tracking them down to their secret headquarters. Once inside, the group's leader, the enigmatic Captain Jack Harkness, introduces her to the team. Owen Harper is the group's resident genius, Toshiko Sato is the computer wiz (every group needs one), Suzie Costello is Jack’s right hand ‘man’ and Ianto Jones is the receptionist/file clerk/teaboy. Even though the story spends more time on introducing Gwen to the group, and the group to the audience, it doesn’t neglect the murder mystery element of the plot. It even manages to wrap things up with a nice little twist that this member of the audience didn’t see coming. Still though, the main focus of the episode is on introducing the characters and from the evidence of this opening shot they seem a likeable bunch, although there is obviously much room for development. John Barrowman is the star of the show as Captain Jack. By turns charismatic, funny, and mysterious, he’s very much The Doctor to Gwen’s companion role. Jack will be familiar to anyone who watched the first season of Doctor Who, but you don’t need to have seen it to understand what’s going on here. While there are plenty of Who references for the fanboys, there is also plenty for the layman to enjoy as well. Eve Myles isn’t overshadowed by Barrowman; her Gwen is a sexy, intelligent, and sometimes overly inquisitive heroine. She previously appeared in the Doctor Who episode "The Unquiet Dead" as the heroic Gwyneth, and I think she’s a star in the making. As the cocky, sex obsessed Owen Harper, Burn Gorman does a good job. It’s the kind of part that could easily grate, and it may end up doing so, but here he treads the fine line, managing to make Owen an amusing pain in the ass rather than an annoying one. Like Eve Myles, Naoko Mori had previously worked on Who having a part in "Aliens of London" where she played…Dr Sato. Is this the same Dr Sato? Probably, and this will doubtless be one thing for the fans to discuss. Her character is the most underdeveloped, but I’m sure there are interesting things planned for her in the future. Gareth David-Lloyd is very much an unknown quantity, both in himself and his character Ianto Jones. He does enough here though to suggest he could be one to watch. The most experienced member of the cast is without doubt Indira Varma. She’s had role’s in major TV drama’s on both sides of the Atlantic. She appeared in the recent TV remake of The Quatermass Experiment, also had a part in the epic historical series Rome, and she’ll soon be seen in an adaptation of Larry McMurtry’s Comanche Moon. Her character certainly experiences some interesting developments and I’ll be very intrigued to see how her role continues. A fine cast, a good story, and excellent special effects (for the BBC), including a very unpleasent alien. This is a splendid way to start the series and everything points to this being another big hit for the BBC.