Weekend at Bobby’s vs. Live Free or Twi-Hard vs. You Can’t Handle the Truth

… or the “Why is Sam such a Dick Trilogy”

It’s no secret that since Supernatural has been back I’ve not been the biggest fan. But then Weekend at Bobby’s happened and I remembered why I love the show.

Weekend at Bobby’s manages to make that “Monster of the Week” format, that the new series is running with, fun and exciting. It takes its lead from a classic episode of the X-files (I can’t remember which) where Mulder is sidelined and we focus entirely on Scully with on Mulder appearing on the phone. Well, instead it is the Winchester boys on the sidelines with Bobby taking centre stage, giving us a much overlooked glimpse into the life of Bobby Singer.

The trigger for the episode however comes from Dean, who rings Bobby up to complain about how different Sam feels since he came back from the pit.

True, Sam has been acting like a dick all season, but that’s not exactly new. Sam has been a dick for some time now, season 4 was dragged down notably by Sam being a dick! Anyway, I digress.

Live Free or Twi-Hard, while an amusing title and a nice little play on the current popularity of films like Twilight, fails on multiple levels. Firstly it follows the Star Trekkien style of storytelling. By that I mean, something happens to the one of the main characters, i.e. becoming a Vampire, that will be entirely reversed by the end of the episode, despite there being evidence to the contrary that is even possible.

Instead of providing an episode about the characters striving to overcome adversity, this method of storytelling simply drags on for 40 minutes until the inevitable conclusion is reached without the episode ever having had any meaningful impact.

The second reason the episode fails is that it breaks canon, Dean’s vampirism being reversible is both convenient and poor storytelling. Part of what makes Supernatural interesting and unique is the lore that Kripke creates for the monsters, changing that lore breaks an audiences engagement with the story.

What I would have found more palatable would be for the cure to fail, after all it wouldn’t be the first time. Back in season 2, one of the most memorable and shocking failures on the Winchester Brother's’ part happened in Heart. After promising to cure Madison of her lycanthropy Sam is forced to kill her when the cure fails.

Obviously, long term, turning Dean into a vamp would be a terrible idea, but a catastrophic failure of the cure would have made the fact that Sam let Dean get turned even more impactful.

Which brings me back to Sam is a dick. The whole point of Live Free or Twi-Hard was to bring to light this betrayal moment when Sam allows his brother to be turned into a monster. The rest of the episode is by the by and it really could have been any kind of betrayal really it didn’t need to be vampires.

So the final episode of this trilogy focuses on a Pagan god of Truth who is causing people in a sleepy little town to commit suicide. I had a brief hope at the start of the episode that Gabriel was back, but sadly, no.

Again, this weeks monster of the week is one of convenience, providing a simple way to finally get rid of Lisa (big damn shame) and out Sam as being a dick. (Have I mentioned that Sam is a dick) While I didn’t find this episode as objectionable as Live Free or Twi-Hard, it still felt staged, that everything which proceeded was only there to give some lead-in to the rather unshocking confession and plea for help from Sam and the rather more shocking and violent response from Dean.

To be honest I’m glad that Dean finally got to unleash his anger at his brother and not in a namby-pamby pre-watershed kind of way, but in a full on, brutally uncut kinda way. But overall the Sam possibly-not-being-human-storyline has been a bit of a downer. With only two characters in the show, having one of them continually antagonise the other really does a lot to alienate the audience. So while it might make sense from a story point of view (and I say might) it really doesn’t from an audience perspective, especially an audience that felt the show had come to a natural conclusion at the end of season 5!

Well, that’s My Two Cents anyway, until next time…

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

So, with Caprica finally back on the air, everything is up and running, so I thought I’d do a quick summary of what’s good and what’s not…

The Good

How I Met Your Mother, Raising Hope, Running Wilde and Big Bang Theory have all been great so far, performing at least as well as I had hoped, in some cases better. 

Nikita was a welcome surprise and has so far been an exciting little spy drama with a twist.

Hawaii Five-O is proving itself to be a fun little tongue in cheek crime drama, like Bones and Castle but with a high octane element that makes it a very enjoyable experience all round.

Chuck, well, Chuck is Chuck and what’s not to like about that? It’s good to finally see some love for this show from the network that very nearly killed it a year ago.

The Bad

Where to start? I had high hopes for Chase. A sexy, high tension drama produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the studio behind such movies as Pirates of the Caribbean. But the show failed on all levels to be engaging. The characters were hard edge almost to the point of dislikeable, even the incompetent one was pitiful rather than endearing. With a season chock full of good stuff, this show just didn’t make the cut.

Undercovers, the new Spy-Fi from J.J.Abrams, a name synonymous with sexy-confusion has managed to produce a pilot that fails to be anything but a joke. Undercovers picks up the story of two retired spies and throws them back into the field. They proceed then to not miss a single beat as they shoot or shag their way out of trouble. Yes it’s sexy and yes it has action, but it doesn’t take itself seriously.Abrams has so far disappointed me with Alias and Lost and Fringe, even Star Trek, but never have I been so disappointed so quickly as I was with this show. If you want a less serious spy drama then Chuck has the perfect mix of comedy and suspense, where as Undercovers tries so hard to cool and quippy that it feels like you’re watching something Sam Raimi might have churned out.

The Ugly

Supernatural… Wait what? You’re favourite show of all time??? Well yes, I said 5 was enough, Eric Kripke said 5 was enough, even the Winchester Boys said 5 was enough, but nobody listened and now look what’s happened. Supernatural is never bad per se (well Bugs was a bad episode, but aside from that) but this has been a clunky start to the season. Coming back from what should have been the end of the show should have been an explosion of goodness that explained why we absolutely needed a 6th season (and “because it makes money” is not a good enough reason.) but instead we’re back to the grungy, emo-ish style storytelling that bogged down the show’s 4th season. Sure Sam and Dean are back hunting together now, so things will pick up, but so far I have failed to be impressed.

Merlin, after a promising start the show has relapsed into it’s lazy scripting/bad British acting habits. It’s such a shame, the first season, despite its poor finale, was genuinely a surprisingly good show. Why BBC shows go downhill in later seasons has always baffled me, but still there are some good moments and some fun moments so I still have hope that once we get the “silly” episodes out of the way the show might return to form for a good season finale.

The Event has the potential to be a good show, however it is as ugly as all hell. The story is chopped, nay, finely diced into bite size chunks, these chunks are then all thrown in a bag and whichever comes out first makes up that week’s episode. In the wake left by the passing of Lost and Flash Forward, I’ve really felt the need for a mystery show, but somehow this is more annoying than it is mysterious. The entire pilot tells you next to nothing, forcing you to watch on in the hopes of figuring out why you just wasted an hour watching the last episode.

Admittedly, the second episode is better, but seriously, what was wrong with linear storytelling? Haven’t we had enough messing about with time and narrative for one generation (thanks Lost!) ???

Caprica and SGU are also back, Sy-Fy’s main dramas are both running one after the other on Tuesday nights and so far they are managing to be okay. Neither is blazing a trail of goodness, nor stinking the place up. Based solely on trailers I have high hopes for the second half of Caprica’s (final?) season where as I have no further expectations for SGU. I would be seriously surprised if I’m still watching either of these shows come this time next year. But they both have the potential to improve

So, that it, My Two Cents on this seasons TV. If I didn’t mention a show, its probably because I’m not watching it, in some cases like Bones and Castle I’m still working through previous seasons, in others I’m just not interested enough. So, until next time…

BRING BACK DOLLHOUSE!

Caprica: Unvanquished

It’s been a long, long time but Caprica is finally back for the second half of its first season. After only 8 episodes the show took a 5 month hiatus, surely that can’t be a good thing. Despite the fact that almost nothing happened in the first 7 episodes of the show, the eighth episode left us on a major cliffhanger and I couldn’t wait to see how it resolved.

The problem with Caprica, when compared to the massively successful Battlestar is that it’s not an action show, it’s a show about religion and about politics and unfortunately while that makes the show deep and interesting, it also makes it thinky and occasionally dull. This week’s episode was a little bit of everything. I enjoyed seeing the resolution to the explosive cliffhanger and yet I wasn’t blown away by it.

Initially we are led to believe that Daniel Graystone has lost everything, his company, his football team, his wife and as we later learn, the Cylon that contained his daughters consciousness. While that is an interesting plotline, it isn’t enough to sustain the show, we still need action in our sci-fi.

Meanwhile Clarice has returned to Geminon to meet with the Church elders. She returns to them proposing a new faith, one based on science rather than faith, one that can offer an afterlife for certain. She is talking about the software that Zoe created, about using it to create a virtual avatar of anyone who dies, so that they can be reborn in a virtual paradise. I never much cared for Clarice and her continual religious waffle is rather irritating, I was rather hoping she would be killed off in the midseason finale, but her death seems unlikely now.  

Back on Caprica Lacey has been fully integrated into the STO, working for Barnabas. I don’t know where that storyline is headed, but with James Marsters slated to have his own series very soon, I thinking we’ll know before the season is out.

In New Cap City, we finally discover what happened to Zoe after the car blew up at the end of the last episode, her robotic body may have been fried, but somehow she made the jump to the virtual world. Now she is on a mission to find Tamara. To what ends we don’t know.

In the closing moments of the episode we discover that Amanda Graystone is also alive and well, and for some reason, living with Clarice. This of course puts a whole new spin on Clarice’s afterliffe idea. It would seem that the Graystones and the STO may well be working together.

Overall I thought the episode was a bit of a mixed bag, I liked some of it, I didn’t like other bits. The CGI was all very nice, I loved the look and feel of Geminon, even if the action that took place there felt a bit stagey. I like the idea that the Cylons are now in full production, trained to be soldiers without a conscience, although the removal of Zoe brings up the question of how they achieve a higher level of conscience and evolve into the monotheistic Cylons we see in Battlestar. However, I’m glad that it’s back as I really want to see where it’s going to go, but I have my doubts about the possibility of a second season, especially after the bizarre way the schedule has been treated.

Stargate Universe: Intervention

SGU is back and do you know what? It’s not as bad as it has been… Sure, that’s not exactly a raving compliment but there has been little positive about the show on which to rave. Bad scripts, poor acting and poor plotlines that focused on petty squabbles rather than action.

In fact, the only reason I tuned in to the season premiere this time around was to see how last season’s cliffhangers would be resolved. The writers literally left every single cast member is some kind of jeopardy, a trick designed to make people do what I did, tune in next time.

But, unexpectedly it wasn’t too bad. I’m pretty sure you need prior knowledge of the Stargate mythology now to really follow what’s going on though, which is a shame because I don't think I can sit through 10 seasons of that, not even when Browder takes the lead role! But there was plenty of action and it was a fun little episode.

What annoys me most about this series are the missed opportunities. For example, in this episode only handful of the crew were left on Destiny, while Col. Young and most of the civilians were banished to a storm- blasted planet, alongside a bunch of the mercenaries who had come to kill them in the first place. Little more is said about this planet and 5 minutes later everyone is back aboard Destiny.

Why not instead have Destiny jump into FTL, stranding Young. Now he needs to work together with the mercenaries to stay alive and make it back to Destiny with his people intact. Meanwhile Rush and Eli have regained control of Destiny and are searching for Young, but with so few people to man the ship, things turn sour, especially when the nasty aliens turn up… Or something like that. Why confine the show to Destiny, why not explore the Universe, after all it’s the name of the show.

Anyway, will I keep watching? Maybe, if the next couple of episodes are as good as this one or better, but Caprica’s back this week and that’s so much better.  

First Impressions: Hawaii Five-O

So, I finally got around to watching the pilot episode of the reimagining of the classic tv series Hawaii Five-O, I know it’s been around for almost two weeks, but I’ve been really busy and to be honest, it was near the bottom of my list of new shows to watch, the only one lower than it being Undercovers.

Anyway, to cut a long blog post short, I enjoyed it. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting going in, probably a police procedural drama I guess. I’ve never seen the original, but my assumption was that it would be like CSI: Miami, but probably with better scripts. Instead the episode opens with a fire fight, a metric ton of explosions and a helicopter gunship. Throw in James Marsters as a recurring bad guy and I was already sold.

When the opening action is over and done with Anton Hesse (James Marsters’ brother) lies dead, alongside Jack McGarrett, the father of the show’s main character Steve. Fast forward a day or so and Steve is back in Hawaii looking to bury his father when the Governor approaches him with an offer. She wants him to lead a special division of police officers to seek out the corrupt and nefarious citizens of Hawaii.

Obviously Steve turns her down, that is, until he realises there is more to his father’s murder than simple revenge. Steve quickly takes over the task force, appointing “Hawaii Hating” Danny Williams as his second in command, mainly so he can wind him up I’m guessing. Not long after  that he ropes in his childhood friend and ex-cop Chin (Daniel Dae Kim) who was kicked off the force after supposedly taking a bribe and his kid cousin, Kono, fresh out of the academy and played by the stunning Grace Park.

With him team assembled they set off after Marsters (Victor Hesse), after a quick but well executed rumble in the shipyard, James’ body is in the drink and presumed dead… Really, is he…? I doubt it. Although with Caprica and his rumoured lead role in an upcoming superhero show, he could well be.

Anyway, whatever the case, it was a fun and exciting first episode and it holds a lot of promise. I found the characters believable enough that they were engaging to watch, but also fun and stereotypical enough that the show was not too heavy. I was certainly surprised by how much I enjoyed the pilot,  a lot more than I did the Chase, which I was much more excited about.

Whether I will stick with the show, I don’t know, it’s certainly a good show and I love the cast, but I think it really depends on what kinds of episodes they choose to do and whether or not there will be an engaging season subplot. But for now it’s definitely on my ever increasing watch list. And for those who have been dying to know, yes it still has the classic theme tune!

Supernatural: Exile on Main Street

It doesn’t seem like five minutes since I was sitting here writing about the awesome finale to season 5 of Supernatural. What I said back then was that if the show did come back, the opening episode of the new season would need to be awesome. But, it wasn’t.

The episode opened really well, I love the montage of Dean putting his skills as a hunter to use in the real world. But what followed was a rather mediocre episode, which referenced another reasonably mediocre episode from either last season or the season before, I can’t recall.

Dean has been poisoned by a Djinn and is hallucinating. Sam shows up and saves him. Sam and Samuel (their grandfather) are both back from the dead and have been for about a year. During which time they’ve been hunting with a select group of 3rd cousins.

Everyone barring Dean knows this. I liked that, I liked that Dean was the last to know, but at the same time I didn’t and I can’t explain why. I liked many things about the episode. I liked the idea that since the apocalypse was averted the supernatural creatures have changed or new ones have evolved. But I didn’t like that Samuel just came out and said it, show us don't just tell us. 

I liked the idea that the Djinn were the children of the Djinn Sam and Dean had killed and that they were out for revenge. But overall I didn’t like the idea that the Djinn, of all things, were what caused Sam to come for Dean after vowing to let him live his “apple pie life” In fact, I would most definitely have preferred Azazel to be back, after all, if Sam and Samuel can come back, why not Old Yellow Eyes. Plus if we’re resurrecting characters Jeffery Dean Morgan would have been cooler than Mitch Pileggi. And where the hell is Castiel? He was such an awesome character, bring back Cas!

So, in summary, Supernatural is back, yey! However, we need a better explanation for why Sam is back than “I don’t know” because that’s just crap. Remember Dean’s reappearance back in season 4? Castiel pulling him from hell, the angel’s hand print seared into his flesh. Come on guys, we know you can do better.

The episode closed out with Dean choosing to stay with Lisa and Ben, which was good because as far as I could see Sam offered no good reasons for him not to. I really hated that “have it your way” moment where Sam almost chastises Dean for not leaving. But we know that sooner or later Dean will leave and head out hunting again, but will it work? Right now, I’m not sure!

Geek Comedy at it’s Best

I’ve been insanely busy this week, so managing to get around to writing anything has been a huge struggle, but how could I not throw some love around for the return of the Geeks!

In the last few years Geek culture has become more widely accepted. Superhero movies grace all the big screens, there are sci-fi and genre shows spilling out of every TV screen, but nothing truly speaks to the geeks inside of all us like Chuck and the Big Bang Theory.

Chuck returned to our screens on Monday with a new episode, setting up Chuck’s new quest, to find his long lost mother, who is of course, none other than Linda Hamilton. Linda however will not be the only terminator alumni to grace the show this season, but more on that story later. The episode primarily revolved around Chuck and Morgan teaming up as possibly the worst spy team since the Lone Gunmen, but, like the inept trio, just as funny. Last season Chuck went from merely ok, to one of the best shows on the airwaves. The final six “bonus” episodes were an adrenalin fuelled rollercoaster ride and if the premiere of season four is anything to go by Chuck is back and just as kickass as ever.

I did find it interesting that Chris Fedak had cut back on the use of the Intersect in this opening episode. In fact the only time Chuck went Superspy was during an off-screen moment. Hopefully Fedak and Schwarz aren’t regretting turning Chuck into a superhero because if they try and tone down his powers or remove them completely they could find themselves in the same position as Heroes did with Peter and Hiro.

But, overall an excellent episode, nothing overly memorable, but a fun filled hour of action. It’s nice to see that Bonita Friedericy has finally made the main credits after only four years with the show, as the head of the new improved CIA HQ a.k.a the Buy More!

Also back this week, by popular demand, I’m sure, is the geek comedy Big Bang Theory. In possibly one of the funniest episodes to date Harold  accidentally gets his member caught in a robotic hand he “borrowed” from NASA. While Leonard and Raj figure out how to deal with that situation, Penny takes Sheldon on his first date with Amy.

I’m so glad that both shows are back, but there’s still so much more to talk about… So, I’ll leave you with my condensed Two Cents and get back to watching all the other new stuff… Supernatural here I come!

First Impressions: Raising Hope

When I first turned this show on to see a hillbilly family attempting to be funny I nearly turned it off again, it was only the short running time I had to endure that stopped me.However, I quickly realised that someone over at FOX knew what they were doing.

Over the last couple of years, indie-style movies like Juno, have been making big bucks. Raising Hope is is in the same vein. Jimmy Chance is a 25 year old, emo-ish looking kid, not overly intelligent and a general under achiever. Through a series of bad choices and even worse luck he is lumbered with a baby girl, whose mother has been executed for murder.

Already the show is off to an ambitious start. Quickly Jimmy learns that he isn’t cut out to be a father, but he is also not willing to give up on his daughter. He soon meets the cute but ultimately quirky shop assistant who thinks he’s “weird” and from that point on we know this is going to be an oddball of a romantic comedy.

Overall, the show’s set up turned me off, I have always found shows that try to dredge up humour by laughing at those less fortunate (i.e. the poor hillbilly family that can’t afford to raise a baby girl) to be dull. But Raising Hope is not focused on what this family can’t do, but instead on what it can. The show is about perseverance in the face of adversity and with that slant I found myself warming to it. The show is definitely piggybacking on the success of movies like Juno, trading the canned laughter of guaranteed success for something a little more edgy, a little more “of the now”. Will that pay off? It wouldn’t the first time that FOX has taken a step forward only to find that the audience stood still. Either way, I enjoyed the pilot of Raising Hope and I applaud FOX for their great choices in half hour comedies, in offering us two (Running Wilde) new shows that are very different to what the other networks have to offer.

First Impressions: Running Wilde

My first impressions of Running Wilde? It’s funny, it very funny, but it is also silly. I mean, any show that features Peter Serafinowicz riding on a tiny horse is pushing the boundaries of ridiculous, right?

But somehow, magically, Michael Hurwitz pulls it off. I have no idea how, this show is crazy, it’s connection to reality is threadbare but, somehow, it’s funny, but it’s clever funny, not slapstick funny, despite all appearances to the contrary.

The jokes that made Arrested Development so funny are back too, along with two members of the cast. For example, Emmy (the female lead and environmental activist) has named her daughter Puddle, and like Bob Loblaw, it’s a name that gets funnier each time it comes up.

Ultimately, I have no idea where the show intends to go, the initial storyline  makes for a great opening episode, but the implied follow up, where Emmy tries to shape Steve (Will Arnett) into the ideal man kinda feels a bit too mainstream considering the bizarre way the show opens. But I trust Michael and I trust Will and I think that this show has the potential to go far.

I also think that Running Wilde is more immediately accessible to a new audience. Unlike Arrested Development where the jokes were sometimes in the things that weren’t said, in the subtleties of the characters, in knowing their quirks, in Running Wilde the jokes play to Will Arnett’s strengths. They are huge and visual, still clever, there’s still that intellectual payoff for knowing what was about to happen, but I get the feeling that while the show  is nowhere near as down to earth as it’s predecessor, it might just be more readily accepted.

Either way, it good to have Will back on our screens, Keri Russell is a beautiful fresh breath of air and Peter Serafinowicz really has the potential to be a comic genius! Overall I thought the show was very very funny, but it is walking a fine line between acceptably silly and overtly ridiculous, but the longer it can tread that line, the funnier it will be!

Rescue Special Ops: Crazy Love

Well, this season has really been like an adrenaline fuelled rocket. The highs and lows of the characters lives have not been quite as intense as season 1, but Chase’s spiral into depression after Bingo’s death was handled well. Overall I prefer the first season, but this season has been gripping, edge of your seat drama from down under.

That said, I found the season final a little laughable. The show opens with a recap reminding us that Ian and Michelle have been threatened by a low life scumbag by the name of Eddie Van Heussen. Shortly after that Michelle is carjacked, but her son James is still in the back seat. Libby Tanner, who plays Michelle gives a sterling performance throughout this episode and I was seriously worried the writers were about to kill her off.

The police continue to operate under the assumption that Eddie has kidnapped James, in order to prove something to Ian and Michelle, however as the plot unfolds we discover that it is instead Renae who has done the dirty deed. Renae, although currently dating Vince, is secretly in love with Ian and this is where the plot fell apart for me…

Fair enough, she wants Ian back. But so far in the 5 or so episodes Renae has appeared in she has never shown any signs of being crazy. So, why then, does she concoct a plan which involves paying a drug addict to steal Michelle’s baby? And why on earth does she believe that this will make Ian see how good a mother she can be? Even worse, why does she kidnap Michelle and tie her up in the boot? More to the point, how? When the said incident occurred she was parked outside Rescue Special Ops HQ,  surely somebody would have seen it?!

The bizarre plot of this episode turned what was a very tense and exciting story into a farce and while the final rescue moment, where Dean heroicly pulls Michelle from the submerge boot, was exciting, it was also ridiculous. Michelle should never have been in the boot in the first place, had she died under those circumstances I think I would have found the whole thing very difficult to accept.

Overall this was an excellent season, but a poor finish.The problem seemed to stem from the writers trying to throw us a red herring, in Van Heussen, so that we wouldn’t guess the real culprit. The problem with that though was that the Eddie Van Heussen story made more overall sense, whereas the “Renae suddenly becoming crazy” story didn’t.

All that said, I had a great time with this show this season and I’m overjoyed to hear that it will be returning to our screens with a full 22 episode season next year!

Covert Affairs: When the Levee Breaks

Covert Affairs, for me at least, was a surprisingly good show. I expected nothing from it, yet I found it to be both endearing and exciting, which is exactly what the season finale should have been…

Unfortunately, I felt rather underwhelmed by the last episode. The episode still had all the same ingredients, Piper Perabo’s beauty, Christopher Gorman’s charm, all the action sequences of a major blockbuster and suspense by the bucket load. But somehow it all went to waste. For some reason, rather than having the season finale be about Annie Walker, it was focused almost entirely on her mysterious ex-lover Ben Mercer, who duped her into failing in love with him before abandoning her in a tropical paradise.

Is that really the hero we deserved for a season finale? No! The plot wasn’t even particularly good, Ben had come to fetch Annie to help him save a professor Ben had promised to protect. I still don’t really understand why and to be honest it just seemed to be a reason to drag Annie back into Ben’s world. However, the story really has little to do with anything else we’ve seen this season, it didn’t really tie anything up, except to confirm that  Ben was alive, which we knew from the season premiere anyway.

Overall, I felt that this final episode was a poor show for what has been a great series. I’ve really enjoyed Piper’s performance this season, Annie’s honesty and general good nature have been a refreshing example to the spy-drama community. Christopher Gorman, too, has finally found a role into which he fits perfectly and I’ve really enjoyed his funny quips and unexplainable good luck with the ladies.

So, I really hope that Covert Affairs will return soon, but I also hope the Ben Mercer storyline is at its end.

The Clone Wars: Clone Cadets & ARC Troopers

I got a little fed up with Clone Wars last season, the show became very much focused on Anakin and Obi-Wan and the storylines felt rather pointless. There were some great episodes and some excellent animation, but overall the major story arcs felt flat.

But now, they’re back! The first two episodes of this season stretch back to episode 5 in season one, “Rookies” an episode that introduced Echo, Fives and Heavy to us and an episode that really proved that The Clone Wars was going to tell dozens of different and interesting stories from across the Star Wars universe.

Clone Cadets is the story of how Domino Squad manages to go from Zero to Hero by working together as a team. It takes us through how the clones come by their callsigns and what they were like before we met them in episode 5. Ultimately the episodes ending is clear from the beginning but it’s still a nice tale and it sets up ARC Troopers perfectly.

In ARC Troopers Kamino is under attack from the Separatists. Ani and Obi turn up to help out, but it is the Clones who are the most defiant,  defending the only homeworld they know by any means necessary. The episode sees some great sequences including a fight between Grievous and Obi-Wan that is visually spectacular. The episode ends with Fives and Echo being commissioned as ARC Troopers.

Both of these clone-centric episodes give me renewed hope for an exciting and varied new season, which will take us on a journey across the known universe.

Merlin: The Tears of Uther Pendragon – Part 2

I have to be honest, my hopes for this season of Merlin were not high and yet, two episodes running the show has managed to make me smile. This week’s episode possibly blew the entire budget for the whole season though as Camelot is besieged.

Honestly I hoped a couple of things would have turned out differently. Firstly, I would have liked to see Camelot fall, forcing Merlin and Arthur out into the wilderness to live as rebels attempting to regain the lost city. I’d also like to see Uther killed off to enable Arthur to take on the role as leader.

However, after an epic battle which included some Harryhausen style skeletons, all was resolved. Almost. Unfortunately Morgana’s charm managed to persuade the King that she was not only innocent but was, in fact, the possible saviour of the realm. Why unfortunately? Well because that means this season will be heavily focused on Merlin trying to prove she is a traitor and Uther and Arthur refusing to believe him, which could get old, really really fast.

Overall the episode was quite enjoyable, I really liked the build up to the siege, especially the moments with Arthur and Merlin, where Arthur doubts his own ability to lead. The CG animation was ok, although Skeletons are always hard to pull off convincingly. I think my reference to Harryhausen may be a little harsh because, considering they were done for TV, they were pretty good!

Hopefully this season will continue in the Epic storytelling vein and not revert back to the silly “special guest star” driven drivel that dogged the last season.

Merlin: The Tears of Uther Pendragon

So, the last series of Merlin was, well, not as good as the first. So much so that I almost didn’t even start watching this season, but I’m pretty glad I did. Yes, the plot was a bit weak and the acting a little shaky here and there but overall it was a fun start to a new season.

The one reason I have stuck with the show through the bad times (yes I’m thinking of Beauty and Beast) was because of the interplay between Merlin and Arthur. Colin Morgan and Bradley James really carry this show, the big names might be Richard Wilson and Antony Head, but it is these two that give the show pace and heart and humour.

This season picks up where season 3 left off, although a year has passed. Morgana is still missing and Arthur and Merlin are on a quest to find her, which they do reasonably quickly. She is so grateful to be returned home that the audience can’t help but smell a rat. This episode was a great way to showcase the dazzling beauty of Katie McGrath, who was severely underused in the previous season. Although her acting wasn’t flawless she is great fun to watch.

So, Morgana has returned to destroy Camelot, starting with Uther, while her sister marches on the castle with an army. We definitely get to see a darker side to Morgana in this episode. After having been discovered as a traitor she attempts to murder a guard, stabbing him and then throwing him from the wall. When that fails to kill him she returns to finish the job with a vile of poison (that she found conveniently marked Poison with a skull and crossbones in Gaius’ stores).

Suspecting the lady of treachery Merlin follows her as she leaves the castle to report to her sister. But Merlin is not as cautious as he thinks and is soon bound with chains and left out to be eaten by giant scorpions. When will villains learn to simply start slitting throats, leaving the hero unattended to be eaten NEVER works! Anyway, Merlin screams a spell of summoning skywards and calls down the ancient Dragon to save him, but not, however, before he is stung by the scorpions.

And so the episode concludes with the Dragon flying away, Merlin clutched in his talons. And once again, I find myself strangely drawn to this overly British show. The budget may not be as big as it’s American rivals, the acting may not be as good either, but there is something just a little magical about this show and that is My Spellbound Two Cents. 

Warehouse 13: Buried

This week Warehouse 13 goes all Indiana Jones and let’s face it, this is a show about collecting magical artefacts, it was bound to happen sooner or later. In a build up to the season finale Mika. Pete and Helena (H.G.Wells) head off in search of Warehouse 2. It seems that the Warehouses are in fact living entities, each one has a Caretaker, such as the mysterious Mrs Fredericks. However, Warehouse 2 was lost for eons and when it was rediscovered it awoke with no Caretaker, so it latched on to Mrs. Fredericks. Unfortunately for her, the connection will kill her.

So, the three agents set off to Egypt to deactivate the Warehouse and save Mrs. Fredericks. To help them along the way Valda (Mark Sheppard) joins up with them. Upon entering the Warehouse the group must solve three puzzles, Body, Mind and Soul. While these sequences are ok, they feel a bit stagey. In order to pass one of these challenges the Warehouse demands a life, so Valda sacrifices himself. I seriously doubt that Valda actually died, partly because demanding a life is a dumbass safety measure, but mainly because Mr. Sheppard is well on his way to becoming the most pervasive actor on the genre television circuit!

Back at the Warehouse Mrs. Fredericks is dying, if she dies, the Warehouse dies with her, again, a rather silly way of doing things, but fair enough. In order to protect the Warehouse, she prepares to pass her duties onto Claudia. This was a nice twist, I’ve always enjoyed Allison’s character, I was so glad she got made into a permanent cast member, so making her into the Warehouse’s new caretaker would be an awesome new direction for her.

However, it wasn’t to be, Mika and Pete deactivate Warehouse 2 in the nick of time and all is well. That is until Claudia discovers that it was H.G.Wells that arranged for the Warehouse to be reactivated. Her sudden but inevitable betrayal was not really a shock, but still it left us on a cliffhanger. Personally I would have preferred for Mika and Pete to succeed but too late to save Mrs. F and that the Warehouse had already been transferred to Claudia. Like I said, I’m not convinced by Valda’s death and I would assume he’ll be back as early as the very next episode. As for the H.G betrayal, I’m neither surprised nor thrilled. As far as Supervillains go Warehouse 13 hasn’t had a good one yet. Considering this show came from Jane Espenson, who wrote 23 episodes of Buffy, I would have expected better.

But, that doesn't mean it was a bad episode or even a bad cliffhanger, it just doesn’t push the buttons I know this show can push. Well, that’s My Two Cents anyway…

Eureka: I’ll Be Seeing You

Of all the shows I watch, this one has the most ups and downs. Some episodes are brilliant while others are less than satisfactory. When the first episode of season four set out to explore time travel (something which had already happened before in Eureka back in season 1) I felt we  were in for a bumpy ride. Despite how much I enjoy James Callis in Battlestar and even FlashForward, I was not fan of Dr. Charles Grant, I’d much rather have had Matt Frewer return to the show as the crazy veterinarian Taggart.  

Anyway this week’s episode marks the halfway point of the season, only nine episodes with no announcement as yet to when the show will return or how many episode the second half will contain. We, however, know that we can look forward to a Christmas special.

So, the midseason finale sets out to wrap up the time travel storyline and bid a fond farewell to Dr. Grant. However, like Heroes and every other show that includes time travel, it just doesn’t feel like it worked.

What I do like is the fact that the final episode didn’t “fix” the timeline, returning all the characters to their previous roles and thus making the last nine episodes irrelevant. But other than that the whole episode felt a bit messy.

Initially I liked the fact that Jack gets dragged back to 1947 unintentionally and the possible death of Allison Blake.  After that though things went downhill. Dr. Grant had intended to return to 1947 to stop the bridge device being built. But he returns after everyone else has already arrived. That could only happen if the bridge device exists already in 2010. Additionally, destroying it now would trap Alison, Carter and the others in 1947. Which of course makes no sense either.

Dr. Grant then forgets about attempting to destroy the bridge device and instead works on a way to return home and save Allison (who had been killed by accident just before they travelled back in time.) They try to warn past Allison about the accident but fail, so instead Jack records a message to his future self and tells him how to save Allison and stop Dr. Grant. Which he does and the everything is as it should be. WHICH MAKES NO SENSE!

Hopefully though, this means that the whole time travel storyline is dead and we don’t have to put up with it again. That’s not to say there haven’t been some good episodes this season, but they have all been rather over shadowed by the less than satisfactory “Time Travel” story arc.

Still I look forward to the Christmas special and the return of the show, which has been confirmed for a fifth season.

That was Eureka and this has been My Two Cents!

First Impressions: Nikita

So, we’re back. It’s been a nice long summer, with plenty to watch for a change, but now it’s time to get back into the season proper. If the 2010-2011 season should be considered special, it will be because of the intense number of brand new scripted shows hitting the airways. The first of which comes out of Warner Brothers via the CW… Nikita!

I’ve heard a fair amount about this show, even seen a couple of trailers, but I failed to get excited, even though I like Xander Berkley. However, through the dull tedium of life I found myself with nothing better to do so I sat down and I tuned into the new hotness. The first thing that struck me was the shows similarity to James Cameron’s Dark Angel. Young people, taken in by a shady arm of the government, trained as assassins, before going rogue and escaping into anonymity, vowing to return for your fellow inmates. 

Add to that bit of familiarity a small dash of Alias, as we quickly learn that Nikita had been in love with a civilian and that her involvement with “Division” had led to his death. Throw in some reverse-24-style traitor twists and you have the pilot episode of Nikita.

But, let’s face it, we’re not looking for originality in our TV anymore, if we were we’d be sorely disappointed (ala Lost?), no, what I’m looking for is fun and Nikita delivers on that. Like Piper Perabo’s Covert Affairs. I went in not expecting much and I feel like I had a good time. I particularly enjoyed Lyndsy Fonseca role as Alex, the troubled new recruit, who turns out to be Nikita’s “man on the inside”. Leading man Shane West was ok, although he reminded me a lot of Joshua Jackson, while Maggie Q who plays Nikita herself, comes across as both sexy and dangerous in equal measures.

I’ll certainly be willing to give the show a few more episodes to really impress me, but so far it’s entertaining enough for me to not turn it off, but it’s also not on the same par as my favourite CW show, Supernatural! Obviously, with only one episode down so far it’s hard to know what the show intends, however if they drag out Nikita’s attempts to destroy Division across multiple series I can see it getting old fast. Personally, I’d like to see her bring down Division HQ by the end of season 1, saving some of the recruits, while alienating others, thus changing the focus of season two.

So, that’s My Two Cents, overall a good show, some nice performances and as long as the show doesn’t stagnate it could well have a bright future.

A Year on the Small Screen

So, September will soon be here and now its about time to look back and see what has been the best and the worst of this year’s TV.

Best Finale – Supernatural: Swan Song or Chuck vs. The Ring: Part II

This year was a really strong year for Supernatural and the season finale brought everything to a head, resolving enough of the current storylines for everyone to be happy, but leaving enough wiggle room for the show to continue on in a less Mythology heavy fashion. A great episode and a great end to a great season.

But, Chuck was awesome too. The whole season was great but the last two episodes of Chuck were funny and tense and that is just a winning combination. So it’s a tie, two of my favourite shows just ended so very very well!

Best Find – Warehouse 13

I discovered a lot of new shows this year that had managed to pass me by including How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory and Legend of the Seeker. But Warehouse was such a breath of fresh air, a genuinely good fun show that I enjoyed immensely.

Best of the British – Top Gear

This show is so well put together, so, so well. If any single episode should be singled out for praise this year it would be the boys trek through the Amazon Jungle. Such a great show, no wonder so many people tune in to watch it EVERY DAY!

Most Surprising Newcomer – Covert Affairs

Of all the new shows to start this year Covert Affairs has got to be the one that I really didn’t see coming. Despite two false starts Christopher Gorham (Jake 2.0 and Harpers Island) is back, this time as Auggie, a blind CIA operative, with newcomer, the beautiful Piper Perabo playing Annie Walker, the well meaning agent. It’s well scripted and light hearted and I’m enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would.

Worst Finale – Dollhouse – Hollow Men or Legend of the Seeker: Tears

Actually there’s no contest, Legend’s finale was a pile of drivel and I could barely watch it! Unfortunately Hollow Men was one of the worst Dollhouse episodes, but Epitaph Two did go a long way towards mitigating the pathetic finale.

Worst Returning Show – Scrubs

OMG! This was such a disaster. Scrubs had gone downhill for a long time. After season 4 things got bad, there was an excellent moment near the end of the season 5, but things rapidly deteriorated from there, but season 9? The season that should have never been was just truly awful!

Worst Newcomer – Stargate Universe

A show that started out so promisingly just failed to deliver any kind of excitement during it lacklustre second half. Despite some endearing individual performances, the script writing and the stories to be told were just not worth tuning in for.

Biggest Disappointment – V

I had such high hopes for V. When you look at the cast list it should be a no brainer. After all Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarine, Lexa Doig, these are people I would follow to any show on any network, any show that is but V.

Biggest Surprise – Dollhouse

Dollhouse getting renewed for a Second Season was a huge and delightful surprise. The cancellation shortly after was not so surprising!

Most Missed Show – The Unit

David Mamet’s unique and challenging Drama series was sorely missed this year. Nowhere can be found the same sense of tension and drama mixed with love and heart. Snake Doc, Dirt Diver, Betty Blue, Cool Breeze and Hammerhead, we miss you!

Weirdest Scheduling – Caprica

Yep, that’s right, 8 episodes and then nothing for a whole year, the Battlestar Prequel will not return to our screens until January!

Best Show of the Year – Dollhouse

Did you really expect anything else? Really? Not only is it Joss, Eliza and Tahmoh, but the second season was just superb (mostly). The storytelling, the pacing, the acting was all just fantastic. Sure it had some problems wrapping up the end but overall this was a superb show and I wish we could have had just a little bit more. But if wishes were candy I’d have own Haribo and Serenity would still be sailing the Black.

Ok then, that’s it. I’m sure there should be more and that other shows may have deserved a mention in the “worst” categories, but lets stay positive and enjoy all the good stuff we got this year instead. Until September, enjoy the summer.

The Aussies are Back

One of my favourite new shows of last year was the Australian recue series Rescue Special Ops. Three weeks ago the show returned to our screens and I have to say that it’s really gripping drama.

Each week I’m on the edge of my seat with suspense. The show looks as beautiful as ever, with some gorgeous panoramic views. Truly spectacular. Plus the theme tune is great, its the first one since The Unit where you just can’t help but sing along and bop your head!

For those who don’t know the show follows a team of rescue experts as they attempt to save the lives of dumb, crazy or helpless Australians while they also deal with their own personal baggage, pressure from government officials and massive budget cuts. 

If you get the chance to check this show out I highly recommend it. The first season ran for 13 episodes and was a huge hit, I’m hoping that the second season might get a longer crack of the whip, or perhaps just a faster turn around between seasons. Whatever the case, I’m just happy to have the whole gang back, saving lives on the small screen where they belong!

Return of the Good Stuff

Sci-fi’s back baby! This week saw the return of 2 of my favourite shows that I discovered within the last year. Eureka and Warehouse 13…

***Spoilers Ahead***

Warehouse 13 – Tuesday on Syfy

Last year W13 left us on an almighty cliffhanger, Arty had been engulfed in flame, MacPherson was on the loose and poor old Claudia was being framed as a spy.

I couldn’t wait to find out what happened but I was left slightly disappointed. All the cliffhangers were resolved with very little consequence, the slate was wiped clean and a new villain was introduced.

Overall the episode was good, there were still plenty of laughs and some nice little action set pieces. The acting  was good and Allison Scagliotti is still very cute, but, just like the pilot episode, it lacked something. I have no doubt that the show will pick up speed and continue to get better, I just wish it had a little more… something!

Eureka – Fridays on Syfy

Eureka finally returned for it’s forth season, it’s been quite some time since the show was on the air, but still it manages to pick up where it left off.

This season see the introduction of a new actor to the main cast, James Callis, otherwise known as Dr. Giaus Baltar. Unfortunately, so far, his character does not appear to be as strong as either his character on BSG or on the short lived FlashForward, but I have complete faith in James to make the role his own.

To introduce James the show takes the characters back in time to the founding of Eureka and as always with time travel, when they return things aren’t quite the same as when they left. What I do like about this however is that the changes are small, but significant and quite possibly entirely beneficial, except for poor Jo.

For example Allison’s son Kevin no longer seems autistic, Henry is married to a hot new mechanic and Tess never left for Australia. However, Zane is no longer in love with Jo, despite the fact that she had finally decided to accept his proposal!

More Good Stuff

With several new series starting in the next two weeks I’ll be looking forward to plenty of new stuff, plus the return of another old favourite Rescue Special Ops. 

First Impressions: Castle

I wouldn’t be lying if I said that Castle is one of the best pilots I’ve seen in a while. It was a show I largely ignored despite being a big fan of Nathan Fillion because (like Bones) the theme is not something I really care about.

I’ve never been a crime kind of a guy. The closest I’ve ever come to a crime drama before discovering Bones last year, is The X-Files and I wasn’t the world’s biggest fan of that show either. So despite Nathan playing the title role I ignored the show, after all Nathan had appeared in Desperate Housewives too so I couldn’t exactly be assured of his integrity.

Then I was watching an episode of The Unit (awesome show, damn shame it was cancelled) in season 3 of the show called Binary Explosion, in which guest starred Stana Katic. Immediately I had to work out where I knew her from, turns out it might have been 24 or even Heroes but anyway, that was when I noticed she too was in Castle.

But still I ignored the show, until late one night… I was sat up at a friend’s house playing games and in the corner the Tv was set to “Dave” and in between segments of QI there would be an advertisement for Castle. Subliminally the message was implanted in my brain, over and over “Watch Castle, Watch Castle” until I could ignore it no longer.

So, what is the show about? Well, the title character Richard Castle is a crime writer, who, after killing his best selling character is looking for a new lead. Meanwhile Kate Beckett, a New York city cop, discovers a rash of killings that point to the killer being a Richard Castle fan. Hoping that he can help she turns to Castle to help her solve the mystery.

Kate gets her closure on the crime and Castle gets his new muse. Obviously there is a lot more to the pilot but as that is all part of mystery I’ll not mention it here to save any spoilers and what not. What I’m more interested in is the delivery. Castle is clever, its funny without being corny (like that dreadful CSI… urgh!), it’s pretty, it’s well written and its a nice bit of escapism.

Sure it’s unlikely that a Cop and Writer would team up and become a crimefighting duo, but who really cares…? It no less likely than two FBI agents tasked with following up on UFO sightings.

Nathan finds a happy medium in this role, he’s not quite as smarmy as his character Captain Hammer in Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog (you must watch this!) and not quite as drastic as Malcolm in Firefly. In fact, if I had to compare him to another character on TV, it would be either Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) or Chuck (Zach Levy). He plays the fish out of water character, but one that is not a bumbling idiot but an intelligent, reasoning fellow, with possibly just a touch too much fame. Overall Fillion’s character is fun and believable and that’s what matters.

Stana is the John Casey to Nathan’s Chuck. She is the consummate professional obsessed with “doing the right thing” because (like Temperance Brennan in Bones) she has a history with crime. As yet we don’t know who she lost but I’m willing to bet it was a boyfriend/husband/child or possibly a sibling or a parent… have I covered all the bases there?

Stana Katic is beautiful and intelligent, she isn’t above the humour that permeates the show and that’s refreshing. She’s powerful too, which is mixed nicely with a vulnerable side. This is one thing the pilot does so well, it develops the characters in depth, showing us a kaleidoscope of each one, their likes, dislikes, strengths and weakness and even their personal failings, it’s all right there in the first episode. In fact, if this had been a simple one off episode the characters would still have been rounded out enough for me to enjoy it.

So, I doubt you need to me to say that in conclusion “I loved this show” because I’ve done nothing but rave about it. I can’t think of anything I didn’t like. I enjoyed the way that the show admits, through Castle’s need for a narrative to the crime, that it is at heart a machine for storytelling, that there will always be a twist or a mystery, that it is, in effect, a fiction. I liked the interim characters too, Castle’s goodie-twoshoed daughter who loves her daddy but frowns on his attitude to life. His mother who constantly embarrasses him… And lets not forget that in Castle’s world Homer Simpson is a county judge!

This is a fantastic show with a third season already confirmed to start in September of this year. Go, watch it, you will not be disappointed.

On Hiatus

So, it’s all done and dusted and TV is over for another year and for some shows forever. If I could I would have liked to give each show a full post for their finales but it just isn’t possible. In fact based on my current work load elsewhere writing for Two Cents will need to become a secondary objective.

What does this mean? Well it means that between now and September I will post sporadically. I have a list of First Impressions and 10 Reasons posts as long as my arm to write. Plus I have a plan for a new “Blast From the Past” segment where I will review favourite episodes from old shows. In amongst all this I will try and cover the various show finales from this season but I make no promises.

Come back soon for my First Impressions on the ABC crime drama Castle.

The Upfronts

Rather than have me witter on in my usual way this week with a rather pointless round up, I thought instead I’d talk about the upfronts.

This week’s TV was ok… Lost was blah, Flash Forward was really a two parter that I’ll talk about in full detail after the next episode, Chuck was ok, How I Met Your Mother tried to be clever and it didn’t really work and I haven’t gotten bored enough to watch Stargate or Legend of the Seeker.

Round up done, now onto the new shiny stuff.

Firstly what’s been Cancelled?

Technically, not a lot. Heroes is gone but there is really no love lost there. They tried to do something interesting this season and it almost worked at times, but for the most part the show seemed to have lost its way. However Kring may not be done yet so keep your eyes peeled.

A bigger shame was the loss of the quirky comedy Better Off Ted which I wrote about last month. After only two very short seasons this original and funny comedy found itself getting canned. Some people have blamed the fact that the show was teamed up with the rather dire Scrubs: Med School but how much truth there is in that I’m not sure.

Scrubs: Med School has also been canned by ABC and I can’t blame them. After 4 episodes I gave up all hope of the show getting better, it would have been a medical miracle for this show to hang on when other, better, spin offs like Joey were binned.

In a further culling ABC has cancelled FlashForward, which, for all it’s faults was better than V, which got renewed! It remains to be seen if FlashForward will successfully answer enough questions to make the series worth watching in the first place.

As we knew Legend of the Seeker has been cut and again, I can’t say I’m sorry. The show started out with so much promise, but it ended up horribly clichéd and rather boring. Even the beautiful Tabrett Bethell can’t make this show worth keeping. Plus now she’s available to go and do something better!

Also, as we knew, Fox is not renewing Dollhouse for a third season… no surprises there. 24 and Lost have both reached their final seasons and have not been renewed. And that’s about it…

Renewed

CHUCK! Yay! If only Chuck got renewed I would have been perfectly happy. After it’s close brush with death last season I’m glad to see that my favourite spy comedy will live on for at least another year.  

CW has renewed Supernatural for a sixth season, despite the obviously natural end point that this season brought. I’m not complaining because Supernatural is the best show on the airways, but I’m kinda scared things might go down hill if it gets dragged out too long. CW has also renewed Smallville for it’s tenth season, I had no idea the show was still going!

CBS has renewed both of its major comedies How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory (which I recently started watching…). How much longer HIMYM can keep going without Ted meeting “their mother” I’m not sure, but I’m not complaining about these renewals in the slightest.

ABC has renewed the crime drama Castle (which I also just got into) for it’s third season and they also renewed V, which as far as I was aware was only supposed to run as a 12 episode mini-series. It has been such a dreary ride so far that I will definitely be falling off the V train before the next station.

Fox has renewed Bones for a sixth season, I’m still waiting to buy season 3, but I do love this show so I’m glad to see it is keeping it’s audience.

Sure there is plenty of other renewed stuff, but none that I care about. But before I say goodbye, lets take a look at some of the shiny new shows…

New Stuff

CBS has a new Crime drama, Hawaii 5-0 which will feature Lost star Daniel Dae Kim alongside BSG Alumni Grace Park.

NBS has several new and interesting looking shows including The Event, which is billed as the new 24. Chase, a Jerry Bruckheimer production about a badass female marshal. Plus J.J Abrams’ new series Undercovers (which may as well have been called Alias 2: Return of the Bristows.) which looks sexy and funny, but as it is billed as a spy-fi, it will ultimately end up in the same toilet as Alias… Well maybe.

Spy dramas and Superheroes are the order of the day this year. ABC is coming out with a new Superhero drama “No Ordinary Family” which has one of the lamest premises I’ve heard of to date. A family of four (with a resemblance to the Incredibles family) crash a plane into a river and develop superpowers! Starring  Michael Chiklis from the Shield and Julie Benz (Darla from Angel.)

Fox has a new comedy starring Will Arnett “Running Wilde”, from the creator of Arrested Development Mitchell Hurwitz.

And the CW have a new show Nikita. She is a spy working to bring down her own agency after she goes rogue. Among other the show will feature Xander Berkeley, otherwise known as George Mason from 24.

Mid Season and The Summer

ABC will have a new vampire/supernatural drama this summer called The Gates, which is about weird goings on in a gated community. Plus a new Matthew Perry comedy Mr. Sunshine airing in the midseason slot.

Fox also has a rather interesting looking show from Steven Speilburg in their midseason entitled Terra Nova, can’t wait to find out more details on that. 

While NBC has gone with a superhero midseason show called The Cape, which will star former Firefly alumni Summer Glau.

All in all it’s shaping up to an interesting looking year for new stuff and that list doesn’t even begin to look at what Sy Fy might throw at us. So, enjoy the summer break because come September you wont want to leave your TV sets!

Spotlight: Supernatural – Swan Song

This week’s Supernatural opens with the signature song by Kansas “Carry on My Wayward Son.” and never have two lyrics been more accurate. Take:

Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done

And apply to Sam and you’ll see what I mean. This is the season finale, the final showdown with Satan himself. Many things will be revealed and resolved, not least the identity of God himself.

The episode is narrated by “Chuck” the prophet who writes under the pseudonym Carver Edlund. He opens by describing the history of the Impala, particularly the details that make it unique, like the toy soldiers in the ash trash and the lego Dean stuffed down the vents. This opening is particularly well done because it gives us a sense, that like the medallion Dean always wore, the Impala is part of the legend, but because it is Chuck narrating, the description feels like the opening to a novel, rather than  important exposition for something that will come later.

So, Sam and Dean are finally agreed, Sam will say yes to the Devil, Dean will open the gate and Sam will jump in. As the two of them sup their final beers together they have that heart felt talk we all knew was coming. “Thing is.” Dean says. “Watching out for you, it’s kinda been my job, you know, but more than that, it’s kinda who I am. I don’t know if we’ve got a snowballs chance, but I do know if anybody can do it, it’s you.”

So, as the episode begins Sam and Dean are seen filling great big bottles with gallon after gallon of Demon blood for Sam to drink, in order for him to say yes to Satan. They dump the bottles in the boot of the Impala and they set off for Detroit.

On the way Sam answers that question we’ve been asking. “If this thing goes our way, you know I’m not coming back.” If Sam goes into the Devil’s trap with Satan on board, that’s it for him too… but wait… what about season 6??? “So, you gotta promise me something. You gotta promise not to try and bring me back.”

“What????” Dean snaps. “No, I didn’t sign on for that. Your hell is going to make my tour look like Graceland, you want me to just sit by and do nothing? No, no, no, as if I’m just going to let you rot in there.” But Sam insists. “So what am I supposed to do?” Dean asks. “Go find Lisa, you pray to God she’s dumb enough to take you in and you have barbeques and go to football games, you go live some normal apple pie life. Promise me!”

Dean says nothing. So, they reach Detroit, they say their goodbyes to Bobby and Cas and they go inside to take on Lucifer. With Sam hyped up on demon-juice the guards are no problem and soon enough the brothers are face to face with Satan himself.

So, Sam says yes but Satan knows about their plan, but Sam doesn’t care, he still says yes and they still try the plan, because it’s the only plan they’ve got! Dean opens the pit with the rings, but Sam is long gone. Lucifer takes the rings and vanishes from sight. It seems that all is lost!

It was a dumbass plan in the first place!

With his new meatsuit Satan takes Sam on a trip down memory lane, showing the youngest Winchester that all his life he was being watched by Demons to ensure that he would one day grow into the man he is today and accept his part in the larger plan. One line from Lucy’s speech stands out above the others “So much anger, young Skywalker” Is Lucifer suggesting that, like Luke Skywalker, Sam’s father is not his father?

Outside an electronics store Dean, Booby and Castiel watch as the news reports roll in of disasters all across the U.S. “It’s starting.” Cas says simply and emotionlessly. “So what do we do now?” Dean asks. “I suggest we imbibe copious quantities of alcohol and wait for the inevitable blast wave.” Clearly being human has done nothing for Castiel’s sense of honour, duty and optimism.

“Listen to me you junkless sissy, we are not giving up.” Dean turns to Bobby for support on this, but Bobby too has chosen to embrace the inevitable.

Dean is unwilling to give up on his brother so he calls Chuck to get the location of where the final battle is going to go down. Lawrence Kansas. Right in Sam and Dean’s backyard. Dean asks Chuck if there is another way to stop it, but Chuck doesn’t know one. He asks if he knows what will happen next and Chuck replies “I don’t know yet.” Now, that is important… (see the end of this post)

Dean resolves to go to Lawrence, Castiel tries to talk him out of it one last time. “All you are going to see out there is Michael killing your bother.” Cas says in that emotionless way that we’ve come to love but that make this line just a little soul destroying. “Then I ain’t going to let him die alone.” And that is the true spirit of Supernatural.

In a graveyard, somewhere just outside of Lawrence Kansas, Sam (Lucifer) and Adam (Michael) finally come face to face. “You ready?” Michael asks. “Part of me wishes we didn’t have to do this.” Lucifer replies. “Yeah, me too.” Michael sighs. “So why are we? Think about it, Dad made everything, which means he made me who I am. God wanted the Devil. Why make us fight? I just can’t figure out the point.”

“What’s your point?” Michael asks. “We’re going to kill each other and for what? One of Dad’s tests? We don’t even know the answer, we’re brothers, let’s just walk off the chess board.” Lucifer finishes his proposal.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do that,” Michael replies. “You think I’m going to rebel, I’m not like you. You haven’t changed a bit, little brother. You betrayed us, all of us and you made our father leave. You’re a monster Lucifer, I have to kill you.” So, they could have had peace, but instead Michael chooses war. I’m not saying he’s wrong, I’m just saying it was his choice.

Anyway, as the two brothers face each other down, ready for the smackdown of the century a 1967 Chevrolet Impala pulls into the graveyard. “Hey boys.” Dean greats the Angels. “Sorry, am I interrupting something?”

“Hey,” Dean says to Lucifer. “We need to talk.” “Dean.” Lucifer sneers, “Even for you, this is a whole new mountain of stupid.” However it is Michael who takes the real objection to Dean’s presence. “You’re no longer a part of this story.” Michael fumes, clearly angry that Dean denied his request to dance.

“Hey, ass-butt,” Castiel calls to Michael, appearing like the cavalry, tossing a Molotov cocktail of holy fire at the Archangel, banishing him temporarily from the battlefield. But Lucy is angry now. “No one dicks with Michael but me!” And Lucifer clicks his fingers and explodes the Angel into little tiny pieces…

STOP KILLING CASTIEL!!!

I did actually scream that at the Tv. Dean tries to get through to Sam, but Lucifer is all that there is. The Devil throws Dean down on the hood of the Impala, smashing the windscreen. Bobby takes a shot with the Colt, but it is to no avail. Lucy snaps Bobby’s neck as if he were nothing more than a bug to be smushed. Even as Dean cries out with anguish Lucifer begins to pummel him.

Dean repeats over and over again “I’m not going to leave you.” As his brother, heart-wrenchingly, breaks every bone in his face, until at last something catches the Devil’s eye… An army man sticking up out of the ash tray. In that instant Sam seizes control. He casts the rings on the ground and opens the pit.

But just as it looks like it’s all over, Michael returns. After all these years of waiting he isn’t about to postpone this fight. Michael grabs Sam and together they fall into the pit. With them inside the rift is sealed and all that is left are the rings.

After a brief advert break Castiel is returned to life and he is an Angel once more. Castiel heals Dean’s wounds and then the older of the Winchester boys asks him flat out if he is God. Castiel laughs. “That’s a nice complement, but no. Although I do believe he brought me back. New and improved.” He says, resurrecting Bobby.

If there is any part of this finale I don’t agree with it was bringing Bobby back. Much as I love his character, I felt like this episode should have had some collateral damage, after all we know Sam will come back and after all this was supposed to be the last episode ever. But even so, it’s good to have Bobby back and his resurrection is only a minor quibble anyway.

The episode closes out with Chuck narrating the final moments:

“Endings are hard. Any chapped ass monkey with a keyboard can pump out a beginning but endings are impossible.

You try to tie up every loose end, but you never can. The fans are always going to bitch, there are always going to be holes, and since its the ending it’s all supposed to add up to something, I’m telling you they’re a raging pain in the ass.”

As they drive away Cas and Dean talk about what’s next. Castiel tells Dean he will return to Heaven. “I' don’t know what God wants.” he explains. “But he helped; maybe more than you realise.” The Angel offers. “And where’s my big reward?” Dean asks, through his sacrifice he is entitled to be selfish. “You got what you asked for, no paradise, no hell, just more of the same. What would you rather have? Peace? Or Freedom?”

In a series of montages Bobby and Dean say their farewells.

“This is the last Dean and Bobby will see of each other for a very long time. And for the record, at this point next week, Bobby will be hunting a Rugaru outside of Dayton, but not Dean. Dean didn’t want Cas to save him, every part of him, every fiber he’s got wants to die or find a way to bring Sam back, but he isn’t going to do either, because he made a promise.“

Dean knocks on the door and Lisa opens it. The two of them look into each others eyes and they know they will make it through together.

“So what’s it all add up to? Hard to say. But me, I’d say this was a test, for Sam and Dean and I think they did alright. Up against Good, Evil, Angels, Devils, Destiny and God himself. They made their own choice. They chose family and well, isn’t that kinda the whole point?

No doubt, endings are hard, but then again, nothing really ends, does it…?”

And so Chuck fades away, revealing himself to be God in the flesh. The hand that has forever guided Sam and Dean on their journey, whether they knew it or not.

The show finished with a shot of Dean and Lisa and Ben all sitting down for dinner and as the camera zooms out we see Sam standing on the corner looking in. Has God done Dean this one last favour and returned his brother? We’ll have to wait until next season to find out.

Unlike “the fans” Chuck talks about I am not going to bitch. I’ve always been less of a fan of the heavy God vs. The Devil storyline, but this episode really finished it off in a nice and simple way. There were laughs intermixed with some really painfully, heart-wrenching moments and that is why I love this show.

My real fear is where season 6 might go. Like the X-files, which pretty much finished it’s story arcs in season 5 with the episode “The End” there is a distinct possibility that Supernatural could return in a state of flux unable to pick up where it left off, fumbling in the dark unable to find its feet. Or perhaps it will be a return to the good old days, with all of this heavy story telling behind us.

Whatever the case I’m glad it’s still around and I don't want to have to wait four months to find out what’s coming next. This has been My Two Cents… Now it’s time to watch it all over again… from the beginning!

Weekly Round-Up: 16/05/10

The Good (Supernatural Finale), The Bad (Lost Answers) and the god-damn-plain-Ugly (Stargate Universe) made up this week’s viewing. 

As Tv season comes to an end and the shows the begin to wind down, some for the last ever time, I am filled with sadness (for those shows that enjoy that I wont be able to watch) and relief (for those shows that I enjoyed but have since died a death). But that’s enough rambling, lets get into the meat of the round up.

How I Met Your Mother – Robots vs. Wrestlers

This week the cast of HIMYM had to face the inescapable fact that they can’t keep doing this show forever, that logically, at some point, they are all going to drift apart in order for their fictional lives to continue to make sense. Of course, they discover this through the medium of “Robots vs. Wrestlers”

Also this week the guys have to learn to live without Robin as she and Don “try to make it work”. Ted discovers what a snootily awful bore he actually can be. Marshal, Lilly and Barney discover the forth Doppelganger and Marshall and Lilly commit to having a child, but only after they find the last remaining Doppelganger. Just a little look ahead to the remaining episode titles tells me that it may be sooner than they think!

Chuck – vs. The Tooth

This week’s Chuck was ok, I watched it at work so maybe it would have been more fun had I not had to think about corporate clients. Anyway, Christopher Lloyd, otherwise known as Doc Brown from Back to the Future turned up this week as Chuck’s psychiatrist.

Turns out that the intersect is turning Chuck brain to mush and Chuck determines to keep that info from the love of his life. Meanwhile, nasty nasty Ring agents contact Ellie and convince her to work for them, believing that she is working for the CIA. First they turn her against Casey, possibly the only person really capable of protecting her if things go bad. Then they convince her to contact her father.

So the Ring is going after Chuck’s dad and the intersect is going to eventually kill Chuck? Sounds like season final stuff to me. With only two episodes to go, I’m sad and excited for Chuck. Happily NBC will almost definitely renew the show next year! Hurray!

Lost – Across the Sea

Oh dear… This week’s episode “explained everything.” we finally “know” what it’s all about. In a story that focused entirely on Jacob and his brother we finally uncover some secrets of the island.

Many, many things annoyed me about this episode, not least the fact that Smokey was only ever referred to as “Him” and “You” so that we don't discover his name. This felt so awkward it’s untrue!

On top of this we found out what the show has all been about… A tunnel with a light at the end (Heaven?). This is what Jacob (and all subsequent candidates) must protect. Six seasons and that's our answer? The guardians of the light don’t really know what it is, other than it has something to do with the spark of life and that it cannot be used for power.

Several Lost questions were answered this week, including why various landmarks existed, the wells, the frozen donkey wheel etc, they were built by Smokey in attempt to escape the island. What is not explained is WHY the wheel would help him escape. In fact, years later it would cause the island to move backwards in time. Just knowing it was built does not actually answer any questions because the very fact that it exists means we knew it was built, by whom it was built is irrelevant.

The Black and White metaphor was played to death in this episode, as was the “rules” line. The woman who pretended to be Jacob and Smokey’s mother (who killed their real mother) seems to have god-like powers but there is no hint from where they are derived and it was she that made it so Jacob and Smokey could not kill each other. Just out of interest why did she think they might try? Surely they were more likely to want to kill her because she killed their mother?

We also found out how Smokey became the smoke monster. Jacob knocked him out and sent him into the tunnel with the light and woomf Smokey was born. Again, we are just supposed to say “Oh right, that’s how it happened” and not ask “Why the F*** would that happen?”

Finally we discover who Adam and Eve were, these were the skeletons in the cave back in season 1. I’d already figured this out because Jacob’s mother is living in the caves during this episode. I also knew it would be Mommy and Smokey’s bodies because we had already been told that Smokey had lost his original body. I felt quite proud of working this out, but then the episode went and spelt it out for us by showing us the entire cave sequence from season 1. Why be clever and then explain why you were clever… sigh.

Apparently Carlton Cuse has made it very clear that no further explanation will be forth coming on the matters discussed in this episode, so “Yay” *that was sarcastic.

Anyway, it’s nearly nearly over and it’s about time. Only two more episodes to go before we can put this once great show behind us for good.

V – Fruition

Did I miss something? I thought V was supposed to just be a 12 episode mini series (that’s why I’ve stuck with it) however I’m seeing it pop up on “Renewed” lists… How?! and possibly more importantly… Why?! If ABC is going to renew any of their current shows it should be Better Off Ted.

Anyway, on with this week’s episode. It seems that Hobbs is working against the 5th column as he steals some research which could lead to a way to kill the V’s. He then offers to trade this data to Marcus in exchange for cash and being left alone by the Visitors.

Other than that, other important details include Lisa’s wavering loyalty, the Soldiers beginning to hatch and Valerie’s water breaking. Next week will see the finale and hopefully some action, but we’ll see. If V has been renewed I for one will not be returning to the show, it’s just been incredibly dull for the most part.

FlashForward – The Negotiation

Ah James Callis really has just swept in and stolen the show for me. Every week I just sit and smile through every one of his scenes. The “I have a huge hippocampus, FYI” joke was very reminiscent of his character on Battlestar.

This week’s episode revolved around the nasty Three Star gang getting it’s hands on Gabe because he knows too much. All of the events in the episode take place the day before the events seen in the blackout, which means next week is the biggie!

Suspect Zero has been revealed to the public as being Simon Campos. Zoe puts Demetri in an impossible position, asking him to choose between her and his duty, especially to Mark. Gabriel reveals the identity of the man in charge, the big man “Hellinger”, Aaron rescues Tracy and Vogel pretty much tells Janis to kill Mark in order to retain her cover.

After Gabriel proves his worth, the FBI plans to move him to a safe house, however, Mark knows Janis will leak that information. That’s right Mark knows she’s a mole, not too difficult to work out really. After Mark dissolves the kidnap attempt he returns to ask Janis why. She simply asks him to understand that she was serving her country.

Later she explains herself to Dem. Now that he survived his own death he wants more than just to be her friend, he wants to be the father of her child. That’ll be a rather complex relationship, no? After this she returns home to find Simon… He needs her help.

Also this week, ex-x-files star Annabeth Gish got a lot more screentime, with a lot fewer clothes on. Personally I preferred her as the slightly cookie FBI Agent replacement for Moulder, but maybe that’s just me. Anyway, next week is April 29th and it’s make or break time for FlashForward.

Supernatural – Swan Song

That’s right… A Supernatural Season finale gets it’s own spotlight, but I will say this. Eric pits brother against brother in a fight orchestrated by God himself, he kills major casts members, all in an attempt to put an end to the Devil itself! Now go watch it… it’s awesome!

Stargate Universe – Pain

After a few weeks of good material, this week’s episode was a huge let down. It was a dreary trudge through what would end up being an inconsequential episode. There wasn’t even anything worth talking about… nothing at all. 

Coming Soon

The Fall schedules! Hopefully we’ll know pretty soon what’s been cut loose and what is going to stay. We can almost definitely state that Supernatural and Chuck will see another season, while 24, Lost and Legend of the Seeker will not. But what about FlashForward? How I Met Your Mother, Heroes and more? Well, as soon as I know, you’ll know.