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.