Tv Nibble: On the Fence About Fringe

I’ve spent the last year being “just about to give up on Fringe” and yet, inexplicably I keep coming back to it. Last week for example, in the episode entitled “Night of Desirable Objects” I was all but ready to leave it be for good and then Peter goes and tells that charming story about wanting to go fishing with his Dad and for some reason that draws me back in.
I just don’t understand why. This show has barely moved beyond the Monster of the Week format, something that Fox’s other new comer last year, Dollhouse, did after the first five episodes. Sure there is a deeper mystery in Fringe, but it doesn’t hold me spellbound by any stretch of the imagination. The X-files, to which Fringe is often compared, had the Cigarette Smoking Man, Deep Throat, X and many others that were beyond intriguing. Don’t get me wrong, the X-files was filled with bad story decisions and completely inconsolable plotlines, but it worked and I’m just not sure that Fringe does.
If there is one thing that keeps me coming back to Fringe, it’s John Noble, his performance is fantastic and the interaction between him and Joshua Jackson is at times hilarious and yet, at times, touchingly sweet. I just don’t know if Walter Bishop is really a good enough reason any longer to keep going with Fringe…
We’ll see next week I guess…

Tv Nibble: What a Difference a Week Makes

Last week I was singing the praises of Dollhouse, this week it failed to do much for me at all, while last week I was picking on ABC’s new series Flash Forward, where as this week…

Last week I said that the pilot gave us answers, too many answers, too easily. We didn’t have to work for them, they were already there and the show only brought me back by dangling the smallest of threads, the possibility of a conspiracy.

However if you weren’t hooked by the pilot then you might be by episode 2: White to Play. This episode begins to delve deeper into the mystery that surrounds the blackout and the mysterious name D. Gibbons that Mark saw in his Flash Forward. We find out what may happen to Demetri and why he didn’t see anything in his Flash Forward. Plus we get to see a little more of Lloyd Simcoe, Jack Davenport, as he meets Olivia for the first time.

Interestingly ABC doesn’t seem to have a scheduling problem with two of Flash Forwards cast. Does that mean that Lee Thompson Young wont be returning in January with the rest of the Interns in the new Scrubs spinoff? Or more importantly that Dominic wont be returning to the Island in Lost?!

Tv Nibble: Topher Tests the Fence

This week’s episode of Dollhouse was written by Dollhouse new comers, creators of Reaper, Tara Butlers and Michele Fazekas. While interesting, this episode didn’t really push any of my buttons. For a start, there was a distinct lack of characters. No Victor, Whiskey or Boyd and very little Sierra. This episode felt more like the “one-off” season 1 episodes that every one complains about.

However, what I did find interesting was Topher’s new application for the imprinting process. He believes that he can cure anything from a dislike of sea urchin to cancer just by manipulating the brain and that is a cool concept. This week also saw a return for November, who is possibly handing off information to Daniel Perrin, the US Senator portrayed by Alexis Denisof, who also made an appearance. (Although I have reason to suspect that DeWitt is the mole… maybe)

All in all, while there were interesting bits floating around, this episode of the Dollhouse was just not up to standard. Shame.

Tv Nibble: “The End” of Supernatural

This weeks Supernatural was a return to the season 4 style storytelling. The mythology driving the show and that’s pretty depressing, nothing but the end of the world, no hope for humanity. This is not Supernatural.

We spend much of this episode with not one, but two Deans for company as he is transported  to a post-apocalyptic future, possibly a false one created by Zachariah just to manipulate Dean (as he did before). Dean is supposed to learn his lesson and become Michael’s vessel, however of course, the lesson he should have learnt was to do nothing any different, that way he gets to sleep with Lexa Doig at some point in the future!

However it is really Cas that teaches the writing staff a lesson, as he laughs at past Dean mocking future Dean’s attitude, remarking “I like past you” so do we, we like past Sam and Dean, we like them hunting, having a laugh, without all this excess baggage. But we do get a small glimmer of hope as Dean learns the true lesson and rejoins his brother for the final leg of the journey.

By the way, yes Lexa does look just as hot as always, I just wish they’d given her more than four lines, she’s as funny as she is sexy and I kinda hope she’ll be back before “The End”  

Tv: Nibble: Merlin Returns to Form

Before we get down to the nitty gritty of today’s nibble, I just wanted to deliver some blog related news. Firstly the companion blog to this blog  the Big Screen Blog went live this week. It will update on the first of the month, every month, unless I get time to make it a bi-monthly. Right here on this blog you’ll notice two new icons that switch the viewing format to show just Nibbles or just the 10 Reasons posts and as always you have the option of viewing posts just by show as well. I’ve also changed the layout of the shop. If you want anything to be added to the shop, or you want me to review any shows on this blog just leave a comment in any of the posts. In particular I’m looking to expand the 10 reasons section of the blog, so if there is a show I should check out make sure to let me know.

Ok, today I just wanted to mention the Uk series Merlin which returned to our screens on the 19th September. The first episode was a little bit of a disappointment, the episode resolved itself too neatly, there was too much CGI and the script lacked the charm of the first series. However, this week’s episode “The Once and Future Queen” resolved all that.

The humour that permeates this series returned in force and the, for want of a better term, cute storytelling is back as well. Interesting though, the first series of the show seemed determined to distance itself from the original legend, to create a new mythology, now, however, the show is showing signs of swinging back to the legend as Arthur and Guinevere finally kiss.

The show certainly retains the potential of the first series. Merlin’s promise in the season premiere to some day release the Dragon that lives below Camelot is sure to bring with it some interesting consequences. While Arthur’s eventual rise to the throne spells doom for Anthony Stewart Head, but when is the question. I wonder if Luther’s demise will coincide with filming starting on Ripper… God, I hope so!

Death Slot for Dollhouse…?

Hurrah! Dollhouse is back, unfortunately its back in the Friday death slot that has been the dumping ground for nearly every show FOX has cancelled. And the series premiere only pulled in 2.5m viewers, only beating out re-runs of America’s Next Top Model on the CW, or so says google at any rate. You would have hoped with guest stars Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica) and Alexis Denisof (Angel) that Dollhouse could have drawn some extra interest…

After watching the excellent Epitaph One last night, this episode Vows was a little disappointing. Essentially the episode does little more than set up the new season, which, I guess, is the whole point really.

The show can really be split into four parts.

Echo and Ballard

The main story arc revolves around Paul Ballard using Echo to further his own goal of catching bad guys. DeWitt asks him why he has changed sides, his reply is effectively “If you can’t beat them, join them.” A kind of reverse Spike in essence, Ballard joins the bad guys to further the cause of Good. The episode can essentially be boiled down to two key points for Ballard and Echo. Firstly that Topher’s wipe didn’t work, Echo still remembers her old imprints, which as we see in Epitaph One, she will learn to control, even overcoming any new personalities she is imprinted with, a kind of compartmentalisation for the mind. The second is Ballard agreeing to become Echo’s handler, a choice that is made easier for him when Echo reveals that she wants nothing more than to liberate the Dollhouse.

Victor and Sierra

Other than DeWitt paying for Victor to have his face repaired there is little to tell here, except that both Sierra and Victor are forming an emotional attachment to each other that it seems will transcend the imprinting process.

DeWitt and Boyd

Boyd is having a hard time letting go of Echo and even harder time raising his game as Head of Security. He has yet to form a decision about where his true loyalties are and that spells trouble for DeWitt. As do a new series of accusations by a US Senator, who is none other than Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, only without a British accent and no longer a slayer of evil creatures. The US Senator has had information leaked to him about medical advancements that the Rossum company (owners of the Dollhouses) are keeping from the general public. Advancements that presumably include whatever process is being used to cure Victor, but interestingly not Whiskey. I believe that the senator may end up being responsible for the apocalyptic future that we see in Epitaph One.

Whiskey and Topher

For me this was the most interesting part of the episode. We’ve had a “misunderstood-Topher” episode before in the episode Haunted, and Fran Kranz can really make these moments shine. This time he and Whiskey sit down and have a heart to heart about what it means to be human. She believes that Topher thinks she should worship him as a god, but Topher knows different. He tells her she is better than him. At the end of series one when Whiskey found out she was an active she asked Topher why he made her hate him. His answer in this episode “I didn’t make you hate me, you chose to.” The moments between Whiskey and Topher are really what makes this episode special. They are deep, almost soul searching and both are left with questions unanswered, unable to find any kind of solace.

All that and I managed not to mention Jamie Bamber once. His performance was fine but his story wasn’t the best, I kind of feel they wasted that guest star, if you know what I mean. I did think it was interesting that Bamber, an English actor who was forced to play an American for five years was guest starring alongside Denisof, an American forced to play an Englishman for five years, that was a nice touch.

Anyway, I’m expecting good things from Dollhouse (actually I’m expecting cancellation, but if it survives I’m expecting good things) this has been My Two Cents, tune into tomorrow for another TV Nibble.

Tv Nibble: Heroes

Well, last season, it would appear I was one of the few people singing Heroes praises. Fugitives was definitely the best season so far, with a deep and interesting story. So far, Redemption is not living up to the standard of Fugitives. It’s certainly watchable and you can see the development of some clever story arcs, but it just feels a little slow getting going.

However, lets not dwell on that, lets look at what I did like from this weeks episode “Ink”. Although Orientation did some of the leg work with introducing the new Heroes, Ink is really about bringing us the new character of Samuel Sullivan. Samuel appears to be a Magneto like character, the head of a brotherhood of mutants, focused on using his powers for a personal vendetta and using other Heroes to achieve that goal. Interesting that he should choose Hiro and Peter to try and subvert, the two character who are firmly devoted to helping others. I think it might be interesting to see where that goes.

However, what interested me more this episode was where the show has taken the character of Sylar. Anyone who followed my updates last season probably knows I’m not a fan. I personally thought Sylar should have either died in season 1 or been retired for a season or two and brought back, like a proper supervillain. However the end of last season made his character much more intriguing.

Matt Parkman took Sylar’s mind from his body and forced him to believe he was Nathan Petrelli, a process that is now unravelling. However, true to all good science fiction, nothing can be unmade, everything goes somewhere and Sylar’s mind somehow bled into Parkman’s. Throughout this episode Sylar offers Parkman a choice, set him free or he will ruin your life.

This is what heroes has always been about for me, forcing good people to make difficult choices and more often that not, watching them fail and having to deal with the consequences. I wasn’t sure that Zachary Quinto would return to the show this season, after his “death” at the end of season 3 and his fame and glory in the world of the big screen, but now, I’m really glad he did.