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.

Weekly Round-Up: 26/03/07

I certainly wish I’d written this week’s post as I watched the  shows… there have been rather a lot of them!

So without further ado, let’s get down to it. Beware the following post does contain spoilers including what THE ISLAND is!!!

Chuck – vs. The Final Exam

Chuck really is going from strength to strength and unlike I announced last week Chuck is now running to at least 18 episodes not the 13 I was aware of.

Picking up where last week left off, Chuck is about to face his final test and become a real spy, while Sarah prepares to leave for D.C with Shaw. Casey however now has only one goal in life and that is to be the best Buy Morian he can be.

All of this, Chuck trying to deal with life as a spy and Casey trying to be a civilian, it just works. By the end of the episode Chuck has passed his final test, the “Red Test” and is on his way to start his new spy life in Rome.

But with Sarah in D.C, Chuck in Rome and Casey in Burbank how will the show go on? I doubt that the writers will allow the team to be split up and they will find some convoluted way to bring them all back together but still, its definitely looking exciting.

However the most important thing to happen is that Sarah is no longer in love with Chuck because she believes, falsely, that he killed a defecting agent.

I can’t wait for more Chuck!

How I Met Your Mother – Say Cheese

This week’s episode was ok. Lilly challenges Ted to “Name that Skank” as the show finally admits that Ted is a bit of a manwhore. While Robin makes it her mission to take a bad photo of Barney, in a series of slapstick moments with the same punchline, but that are somehow still funny.

With only a few episodes to go before the season finale I wonder if we are still to be treated to a few more how I “almost” met your moments???

Lost – Ab Aeterno

Ah… that “pivotal” moment we’ve spent six seasons waiting for apparently happened this week. We finally know what the Island is…

IT’S A PRISON… for Smokey… ok and?

This week’s episode focused on Richard “The Ageless” Alpert. With some continuity errors and a lot of faux religious nonsense we arrived at the final conclusion about what the island really is.

It was explained to us (in story telling flashback fashion no less) that Jacob is the keeper of the island, the gaoler for the black smoke and that the two of them are incapable of killing one another. However, as we know, Jacob can be killed by someone else. Knowing this Jacob intentionally brings other people to the island to allow them to be tempted by Smokey. Those that fail to redeem themselves are presumably at some point tested and killed, those that pass through the temptation… well… who knows?

Anyway, it was all vaguely nonsensical and a rather disappointing “conclusion” to some of the LOST mysteries. Certainly the way that Richard perceives the island “This is hell” and “You’re all dead” is not a million miles off what everyone was saying around the midpoint of season 1. The idea of the island as Hell is an interesting one though as Jacob (Mark Pellegrino) is in fact Satan on CW’s Supernatural. Could it be that he is in fact the devil on two different shows simultaneously?

FlashForward - Blowback

After last week’s action packed episode this week’s FlashForward was a return to the talky-talky style episodes prior to the hiatus. Possibly the most interesting story was Aaron and Tracey. Tracey was recaptured by Jericho, a mercenary organisation headed up by James Remar. A news clipping in the hallway of his house proclaims Remar’s character as Jericho’s General, it cannot be coincidence that Remar once played Jonah Prowse, leader of a band of mercenaries on the CBS show Jericho?

Aaron learns that Jericho has Tracey and so he sets out on his journey to fulfil his flash forward by travelling to Iraq.

Other than that Mark finally discovers that Lloyd knows D. Gibbons and Demetri discovers that the gun that will be used to kill him has been stolen from the evidence room.

Supernatural – Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid

Another good fun episode of my favourite show of the moment. This week’s episode manages to be funny, scary, sweet and gross all at the same time and let’s face it, that’s why we all love this show.

So this week the Fourth Horseman sends Bobby Singer a message in the form of his dead wife returned to life. In fact the whole town see Zombies rise and rejoin their families… only… there is a catch… It seems that the Zombies, while appearing sweet and innocent still really want to EAT YOUR BRAINS!!!

In a rather Dawn of the Dead style tribute Sam and Dean set about decapitating the living dead as they try to save their wheelchair bound mentor.

Although I did enjoy the episode for what it was I was rather disappointed that there wasn’t a zombie attack on the police precinct, that would have been cool. Another really fun episode in the countdown to the season finale.

Caprica – End of the Line

So, the last episode before the hiatus… that deserves spotlighting dontcha think? Tune in again soon for my thoughts on this jam packed episode.

Clone Wars – Cat and Mouse

Best episode of Clone Wars in a while! In a very space action orientated episode Anakin gets to fly a new stealth vessel prototype against a dead adversary, Trench (voice by non-other than Agent Smith!).

Of course I don’t ever recall seeing “Cloaking” ships in Star Wars but that is beside the point. The episode is still pretty good and the character of Trench is a lot of fun. Also Admiral Yularen finally got some proper screen time this week, which was nice for him.

All in all a good fun episode. Hopefully the show will continue to pick up as it rolls on towards the season finale.

Legend of the Seeker – Creator

In a time when I thought “Clip Shows” were a thing of the past Legend brings us this. The worst thing about this week’s episode (and it wasn’t the 60% recycled materials) was that it had the possibility to be a real mythology challenging episode, but instead it whimped out at the last second and became just another one off.

This week’s episode revolved around the return of the Creator in human form. The Sisters of the Light all gave their power to one girl that they believed (possibly brainwashed into thinking) was the Creator. Then they sent her on a mission to kill Richard.

Notably this means that there are no more Sisters of the Light and only one remaining Sister of the Dark…

Using flashbacks the Creator tries to prove that Richard is working for the Keeper, while Kahlan tries to prove the opposite.

The episode ends with Darken Rahl trying to open a rift to drag the Creator into the underworld. Richard saves her and she closes the rift. Doing so drains her of her powers, thus removing “The Creator made Human” as a possible element in the endgame. Also the fact that Richard saved her made her instantly change her mind about him being an agent of the Keeper.

Things could have been so different… Clip shows and a one off episodes that don’t really add to the story are really the detriment of this show. It’s a fantasy show, it should have a grand plot interweaved with many many subplots that are just as grand or fun or dark. It’s such a shame, this show could be so much more than it is. Oh well…

Coming Soon

Ok… I absolutely promise that V is coming back this week, not that I’m that bothered, but I’d like to see how it ends. Also returning this week is Stargate Universe, plus more from everything else except Caprica which will return in the autumn.  

Weekly Round-Up: 21/03/10

Well… I’ve certainly been busy this week. Several new features  have been added to the blog to make finding your favourite Tv Shows even easier. Firstly I’ve added a new flash button that allows you to navigate the site by show and by season, as well as being able to see if the show has a 10 Reasons or First Impressions post. Currently the list only has the shows from the old Navigate This Blog list, however other shows will be added to the list.

Secondly I’ve added a google search bar which not only searches the posts on the blog but it also searches posts in the other blogs I read, which gives me a good excuse to start reading more.

Finally I’ve added a Reactions link at the bottom of the posts so you can give the thumbs up to the posts you like.

So then, lets take a look at this week’s Tv…

Chuck – Vs. The Tic Tac

An excellent episode of the comedy spy drama again this week. Want to know more check out the Spotlight directly below this post.

Lost – Recon

Possibly the best episode of Lost so far this season, although that’s not saying much. Quite a lot of stuff going on this week. We find out that the rest of flight 316 are dead, presumably killed by Smokey. We learn Smokey plans to use the plane to escape the island, but that would mean he needs Frank?! Charles Widmore finally arrives at the island with the intension of killing Smokey… So Charles is a good guy? What about the boat load of people he sent to the island to kill everyone?

Clare tries to kill Kate and Sayid is depressed. Sawyer is playing both sides promising to help Smokey kill Widmore and visa versa, while all the time he plans to escape with Kate in Widmore’s sub.

Meanwhile in Sawyer’s flash sideways we learn that he is still searching for Anthony Cooper (Not Sawyer) but that he is now a cop. As has become typical in the Flash Sideways, his partner is non-other than Mile Straum. But if Sawyer is a cop then why did he help Kate escape in the season premiere? Well I guess we’ll find out soon enough because the two of them run into each other again right at the end of the episode.

Next week will see Richard Alperts backstory along with further revelations about what the Island actually is. 

Flash Forward – Revelation Zero

Finally an episode that is actually relevant. This episode led by Simon (Dominic Monaghan) is actually a lot better and a really good start to the second half of the season. As such it will be getting the Spotlight treatment later this week.

Clone Wars – Senate Murders

As may have become clear of late I’m a little disillusioned with the second season of Clone Wars. Season one was so jam packed with action and interesting episode, while season 2 has continued to fall flat.

This week’s episode is no different as we are faced with a Padme led episode about a murdered Senator. Padme is trying to pass a motion to stop the production of more Clones, which seems ridiculous to me, but even after one of the forerunners of the campaign is murdered the motion is still passed and the production of Clones will continue.

Who would have thought? 

Caprica – Ghosts in the Machine

Well… This week was certainly quite a dark episode, no? Having discovered that the AI in the robot is in fact his daughter Zoe, Daniel Greystone sets out to force her to reveal herself. Daniel puts the robot through a series of trials (including forcing her to shoot her own dog) hoping to force it to show him a sign that it is his daughter.

Meanwhile, Joseph takes on New Cap City looking for his daughter, but all his can find is her signature on every wall.

All in all this week was a pretty good episode, I’m really enjoying the series as a futuristic look at modern society, but I’m still eager to see where it is all leading to.

Legend of the Seeker – Bound

So, this week’s episode was another one-shot “Star Trek” style story where nothing really that important happened. The freshly resurrected Sister Nicci casts a spell to bond herself to Kahlen in order to force Richard to lead her to the Stone of Tears.

By the end of the episode Nicci has failed, but she has also eliminated the remaining Sisters of the Dark and taken their power. Legend really could be more than just a collection of one off stories, it’s such a shame that it still hasn’t evolved into something deeper. It’s still fun and visually wonderful, it just feels like it could be something more.

Coming Soon

Next week sees Supernatural and V return, along with what promises to be a pivotal episode in the LOST canon. Also I’ll be breaking down that mammoth FlashForward episode in my weekly Spotlight… but until then, this has been My Weekly Scheduled Two Cents.

Weekly Round-Up: 14/03/10

So… I’ve had a week off work and not managed to do a spotlight post… sorry about that. I’ve also not managed to watch Caprica…  sorry about that also. I did manage to watch all of Warehouse 13 though… t’was good! Cruel, cruel cliffhanger though…

Right then, lets round up the Tv I did manage to watch.

Chuck – Vs the Beard

Dual meaning title and everything this week. I still intend to spotlight this episode but I will say that this is the best episode of season 3 by far… a mythology changing episode. Superb!

How I Met Your Mother – Of Course

A very good episode that focused, for the first time, on the aftermath of Robin and Barney’s break up. HIMYM is really clever with how they set these episodes up. Very clever.

Anyway the episode deals with how Robin tries to get revenge on Barney because of all the girls he has slept with since her. It also examines the way Marshal and Ted have dealt with this in a very amusing and clever (did I mention they are clever?) sequence that continues to build throughout the episode.

Very very good and a lot of laughs to boot. Oddly it ends with Robin finally going on a date with Don, who really doesn’t seem that suited to her. I guess I’m just hoping that her and Barney finally work things out as they are the only two character we haven’t seen “in the future” glimpses of and therefore could end up together.

Lost – Dr. Linus

Hmmm… There is possibly a lot to talk about this week as more characters return from the dead in a Ben-centric episode. Interesting Dr. Artz seems to be getting a lot of screentime this season considering he was only in season one what… two episodes?

Anyway the episode focuses on Ben’s choices in life. In the island reality he chose power over Alex, while in his flashsideways his decision was reversed.

A very interesting piece of information that was revealed this week was the Candidate’s inability to kill themselves. This explains Jack and Locke’s failed suicides. Interestingly however Richard too is unable to die (explaining his youthful appearance) but he is not a candidate. Does this mean that anyone touched by Jacob is unable to die? Also, I’m fairly sure that someone revealed that there are only six candidates left. So does that mean that Frank is not one?

Also… did Ben believe that Alex was a candidate (maybe she was) is that why he thought she couldn’t be killed? Or are there further rules that we haven’t learnt about yet?

Miles reveals this week Jacob’s final thoughts, which were, predictably, that he hoped Ben would stop himself and be redeemed. How very Judas…

Finally, the most important piece of information was that Charles Widmore is enroute to the island. Presumably to take his place in the war (as the new leader of the Others?). Will Penny and Des be returning with him? Is Desmond important to the end game? Is there really an end game?

All these questions and more to answered on next weeks LOST!

Caprica – The Imperfections of Memory

So, the major plot points this week? Joseph goes in search of Tamara in New Cap City. Philomon goes on his second date with the Zoe Avatar where she gives him the idea that reason the chip that Daniel stole works is because it is based on an analogue program that cannot be copied.

However, this leads Daniel Greystone to (possibly) finally understand “who” is inside his robot.

Meanwhile Clarisse gets friendly with Amanda (who is now hallucinating visions of her dead brother) and Lacy kisses Keno, immediately after she reveals her intention to become a member of the STO in order to move the Zoe Avatar off world…

Things are certainly heating up in Caprica but has it done enough to keep it’s audience? I hope so.

Next Week

Now, if IMDB is to be believed Tv is returning in force next week. Legend of the Seeker, Flash Forward and Clone Wars, all alongside our regularly scheduled programming. Leaving us looking forward to Supernatural’s return the week after along with *yawn* V.

See you next week for another Round-Up…

Weekly Round-up: 07/03/10

Even with the Olympics out of the way it’s still been a slow week for Tv. This week enjoyed another episode of Chuck, HIMYM, Lost, Caprica and Legend of the Seeker… That’s right folks, I’m all caught up!

So without further ado, lets get right into it… beware episode spoilers may feature below…

Chuck -  Vs. The Fake Name

Another pretty good episode of Chuck in which Chuck assumes the identity of an assassin paid to take out Agent Shaw. In the process Chuck discovers the relationship between Sarah and Shaw and realises he still has feelings for her, which drives him to break up with Hannah (Gasp!).

However the fact that Chuck is really beginning to out grow his handlers seems to be changing the feel of the show. There is less camaraderie between Casey, Chuck and Sarah and that is a shame. I’m interested to see where Chris and Josh will take the show, I just hope it doesn’t lose it’s charm in the process. 

How I Met Your Mother – Hooked

This week’s episode examines that part of the human psyche that we all use from time to time. The part that preys on other peoples affection for us to our own benefit. Of course, HIMYM refers to it as “being on the hook” and they don’t make it sound as dark and depressing as I just did.

It’s not a bad episode, quite a few laughs but nothing ground-breakingly funny.

Lost – Sundown

I’ve already talked about this earlier this week, but I will say that the show is certainly building towards the War we were promised and Smokey-Locke looks like he’s winning.

Caprica – Know Thy Enemy

Finally James Marsters in Caprica… well… a little bit anyway. Caprica, so far, has been one of those shows that builds up really slowly and we’ve never really known exactly where it is going, but now I think we are beginning to get an idea.

Firstly Graystone Industries is pushing forward the idea of Cylons as labourers because of Amanda Graystone’s revelation that her daughter my have been a Solider of the One. This will fulfil that opening segment of the BSG pilot that reads “The Cylons were created to make life easier on the twelve colonies.”

Secondly Lacy is trying to get Zoey’s avatar to Geminon and she hopes to use Barnabus Greeley (Marsters) to do. This means, of course, stealing the Cylon prototype, which will presumably fall into the wrong hands.

Finally Clarice, one of the Soldiers of the One, hopes to discover the truth about the Zoe avatar to offer all STO members eternal life. Will this plan work? Will all the Cylons have distinct personalities?

Who knows…?

Legend of the Seeker – Princess

Ok… so this didn’t air this week… but I watched it this week… that has to count right?  

This was an episode showcasing just how beautiful Tabrett Bethell is. However it was also one of the funniest and least serious episodes of the show to date. Tabrett certainly brings a fantastic new energy to the show that it sorely lacked in the first season and it is great to see her get two episodes about her character in a row.

Sister Nicci, leader of the Sisters of the Dark, returns to life this week as she tries to capture and kill Kahlen, the mother confessor. She uses a local Lord to have him kidnap Kahlen in exchange for immunity from the Keeper. However, of course, Richard, Cara and Zedd go after her. Unable to use magic they portray a family of royal suitors to gain access to the palace and hilarity ensues.

I’m still not a big fan of the one-shot nature of the story telling in Legend but I’m still spell bound by the production quality.  

Coming Soon…

Nothing new to talk about next week. Supernatural, Legend of the Seeker and V will all return the week after next, with FlashForward back in April.

Until next week…

Weekly Round-up: 07/02/10

If you like to laugh then this week has been a good one. Between them, Chuck and HIMYM have brought many a tear to my eye. Also this week, new Lost comes around and confuses us with glimpses of that that never was, but more on that later.

As always, these roundups are not censored for spoilers so continue at your own peril.

How I Met Your Mother – Perfect Week

A return to form this week for HIMYM as we enjoy a Barney-centric episode. After learning that he may be fired Barney sets out to cheer himself up and achieve the holy-grail of sleeping with random women, “A Perfect Week”. Seven girls, seven days, no rejection.

As Barney is possibly the best character in the show, how could an episode based almost solely on him fail? A really good, funny episode, which has you cheering the manwhore on before the episode closes out.

Heroes – The Wall

Another week of stalling! Sigh! In this weeks episode Peter and Sylar spend the whole episode trapped in Sylar’s mind, literally trying to break down a wall to escape, in order for Sylar to stop/save Emma.

Meanwhile Samuel tries to turn Claire against her father by having Damien show her Noah’s memories of losing his first wife and child to a special and then Noah enacting his revenge against any specials that cross his path.

The wounded Lauren is handed over to Samuel by non-other than Emma and Samuel asks Eli to “deal with her.” I suspect that we may soon see Eli frozen solid by Tracy Strauss however.

In the best moment of this episode however, Samuel, fed up of dealing with Claire and Noah, buries them alive in one of the carnival trailers. Shortly after Peter and Sylar break free and we all cheer… *Yawn*

JUST GET ON WITH IT!

Sorry… The finale will air on Monday, hopefully if Heroes sees a fifth season it will be a 2 chapter split with a faster pace of story telling.  

Chuck – Vs. Nacho Sampler

Another fun episode of everyone’s favourite spy comedy as Chuck attempts to hook his very first asset. We see a return for the intersect as Manush, an MIT drop out, designs a new one for the Ring.

However, the more interesting aspect of this episode is that now both Morgan and Ellie are beginning to become suspicious of Chuck and Devon. This will clearly lead to one or both of them learning the truth before the end of the season, which leads us to ask, what will the CIA do about that? I can see Schwarz and Fedak making Morgan an operator, as Chuck gets better, to reintroduce that accident prone element to the missions.

Whatever the case, another good episode. Really enjoying the new dynamic between Jeff, Lester and Hannah. 

Lost – LAX

Well, for those of us who  thought Lost couldn’t get any weirder, we were wrong. This season replaces Flashbacks and Flashforwards with the only direction left, sideways. That’s right, producers Carlton and Cuse have decided that instead of making a decision about whether or not setting off the bomb at the end of last season worked, they’d just do both. One timeline, the bomb goes off and the plane never crashes, in the other timeline it doesn’t but the cast is transported back to 2007, still trapped on the island.

Many, many things are revealed to us in this double length episode, including what the Black Smoke really is. We meet a new leader of the Others and we see a return for many dead characters. Charlie, Boone, Artz and even Seth Norris (voiced by Heroes star Greg Grunberg.) all return for the flash sideways.

Anyway, I’ll probably spotlight this double length episode next week, so I’ll leave it there for now. 

Supernatural – The Song Remains the Same

This week sees Supernatural’s first return to a fully mythology-based episode since that fateful episode “Abandon All Hope”. And what an enjoyable return it was. Despite the fact that, as the title suggests, the episode is pretty much another plea by the angels to the Winchester boys to say “yes” it is done in a way that makes it fun and interesting.

The episode itself is Back to the Future meets Terminator as Angel Anna goes back in time to kill Sam’s mother before he can be born. The episode however ends with her being burnt alive my Michael. And finally, Dean and Michael come face to face and the Archangel lays it out for him that free will is an illusion and that, in the end, Sam and Dean will both say yes.

Interestingly the concept of free will is the basis of the Christian faith, the excuse that people use as to why people do bad things. If Michael does not believe in free will, is he really still working for the big guy upstairs?

Whatever the case the episode is great and Misha Collins is simply superb, even if he spends most of his time unconscious. Despite being mythology driven this episode, is light and fun and action packed. Love it. Next week will see an episode called My Bloody Valentine, a nod to Jensen Ackles summer film excursion.

Caprica – The Reins of a Waterfall

So, the Soldiers of the One (STO) have a plan for Zoe’s avatar and Lacy has agreed to bring the avatar (and in essence the first Cylon) to Geminon. Other than that Caprica didn’t really offer much in the way of explanation as to where it is heading. Being a fan of Ronald D. Moore’s past work, I hope it is heading somewhere exciting… it just isn’t evident where.

The episode closes with Joseph Adama, having not been able to visit his daughter’s virtual avatar (because Zoe let it out of the virtual box it was in) returns home and gives his brother Sam the order to murder Daniel Graystone’s wife.  

Clone Wars – Voyage of Temptation

This weeks Clone Wars was still lacking something, I’m not sure what though. But it did have some very nice sequences, the battles with the Assassin Droids were particularly exciting and the reveal that Obi Wan, like Anakin, had once fallen in love and offered to abandon the Jedi Order.

Next week will see the conclusion of the Mandalore Trilogy, with the Obi Wan revealing his love for the Duchess of Mandalore, I suspect that the episode will conclude with her death, ending Mandalore’s attitude of neutrality and bringing them and their allied planets into the Clone Wars.

Coming Soon…

Monday will see the finale of Heroes: Redemption and not really before time if you ask me. Plus more Lost to throw fuel on the fire of confusion. This has been My Two Cents… Watch out for a Lost spotlight later this week.

Weekly Round-Up: 31/01/10

So, it’s been an interesting week. Sadly Dollhouse came to an end with an Epitaph that was both great and yet, in a strange way, a little disappointing. Also SyFy returned with the first new episode of Caprica.

Please note, I try to be brief in these round-ups but they do contain some spoilers.

Heroes – The Art of Deception

As the title suggests, this weeks episode is about deception. Specifically between Samuel and Noah. After Claire discovers that Noah intends to kill Samuel and disband the carnival, she offers to negotiate a peaceful surrender. Samuel agrees, pretending to feel guilty for destroying that town the other week. However, he has really sent his right hand man, Eli (The Copy Cat), into the woods to open fire on the carnival, immediately prior to Samuel’s surrender, thus making it seem like Noah did not keep his word.

In the process however there were two casualties. The first being Lidia. Samuel confesses to her even as she lies dying that he was the one who got her killed; it is not apparent if Eli had specific orders to shoot Lidia, but I think it is a definite possibility. The other is poor Lauren, who, as she lies dying in the woods, manages to call for help from non-other than Tracy-Freakin-Strauss.

However, all that Samuel nonsense pails into insignificance when we look at the truly dark moment that Sylar and Matt share together in his basement. After his wife demands that Matt put Sylar somewhere he can never hurt anyone again, Matt takes her at her word and traps the killer inside his own mind. Much like Matt’s dad did to him and Nathan. But better still, Matt bricks Sylar up in basement…

Unfortunately Peter arrives and ruins all the fun! Heroes has been extended to 19 episodes now, so just two more to go but who else is for the chop?!

Chuck – Vs. First Class

This week’s episode introduces a possible replacement for Anna Wu as well as a new love interest for Chuck (and who can blame him) in the form of Smallville’s Kristin Kreuk. The episode itself is quite good too.

Shaw sends Chuck on his first solo mission, although to be fair, we’ve seen Chuck voluntarily take on harder missions by himself before. Shaw believes that Chuck could be a great asset but that Sarah smothers him. I wonder what Fedak and Schwarz have planned for the show if they are trying to teach Chuck to stand on his own two feet?

Supernatural – Swap Meat

This week Supernatural delivers another one of their, fast becoming, trademark Bait and Switch episodes. By this I mean that they draw us into the episode and make us think, ah… it’s just a one off… and then they throw in some mythology just when we weren’t expecting it.

This weeks episode focuses on a “coven” of witches, well, three teenagers, who have taken it upon themselves to collect the devil’s bounty on Dean Winchester. Unwittingly however, they also nearly fulfil the prophecy in the process. Gary switches bodies with Sam so to get closer to Dean. If Gary were to say “Yes” to Lucifer…

I really wouldn’t have minded the episode going this way, but it didn’t, which means we still don't know, why or if Sam will allow himself to become Lucifer’s vessel.

However, with all this talk of a sixth season, I’m beginning to wonder just exactly how Eric intends to leave things this season. There have certainly been a lot of “Monster of the Week” style episodes of late (which I love btw) but you would have thought he’d be working on wrapping things up… Unless he is staying on???

But if that is true it makes THIS even more evil… *shakes fist with rage*… Damn you Kripke… Damn you to HELL!

Dollhouse – Epitaph Two

So, that’s it then, it’s over! Epitaph Two is unashamed of what it’s purpose is. It is the tomb stone for one of the best shows in recent times. It stands up and admits defeat, it is a calming word to the fans that the show is dead and that there will be no more.

By the time Epitaph Two is done the apocalypse has been averted and those responsible have been brought to justice. There is still so much we don't know, so much development from the characters we see in Dollhouse to those we see in the Epitaph that we will just never see. And if Epitaph Two has a major fault that is it. It’s a beautiful ending, but we missed out on the journey.

Join me later in the week as I break this final episode down and talk about exactly what I did and didn’t like about it.

The Clone Wars - The Mandalore Plot

After a rather disappointing episode last week, the Clone Wars returns with a story about the Death Watch. A group of Mandalorian warriors (the same race as Jango and Boba Fett), who, with the help of Count Dooku, are planning to overthrow the Duchess and take over Mandalore.

There is a astonishing amount of new material in this episode. Two new planets, dozens of new characters. It all seems like a hell of a lot of work, especially for a rather predictable episode. There were some nice touches, here and there, like the introduction of the black lightsaber, (I know someone who would have been very excited about that!) but overall the episode was disappointingly formulaic.

That said, this is just the beginning of a three episode story arc so hopefully, with the setting now established, next week will see some awe inspiring action!

Caprica – Rebirth

Caprica’s second episode, although an interesting insight into Caprican life, really doesn’t go anywhere very fast at all. That is not a bad thing by any stretch. They spend a lot of the episode developing the Zoe/Cylon character and a lot more development is needed if we are to understand how she comes to start a war against humanity.

However the most major plot point in the show is that Zoe’s mother finally comes to understand that Zoe was one of the Soldiers of the One and she admits this publically, that her daughter was possibly the person who blew up that train and killed all those people. Of course, she admits this at the memorial service for the people who died in that tragic incident… Not a smart move. 

A couple of minor niggles… The credit sequence feels… erm… pretentious. Oh and William Adama’s eyes are brown… which is interesting because I’m pretty sure they’ve turned blue by the time he becomes a commander. Oh… and… I have no idea where this series is going…!

Coning Soon

We cannot possibly ignore what happens next week, as, on Tuesday, Lost returns to our screens. Like with 24, Lost is a show I never read about elsewhere until I have seen the episodes, so I have spent the week hibernating and avoiding those previews ABC have been showing. I can’t wait to find out where this final season will take us.

Missed the last episode of season 5, check out my three part ramble in which I discuss the very nature of the island and what I think it is all about.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Until then… This has been My Two Cents…

58 Years Before the Fall…

About a month ago I ran out of things to watch and in the absence of anything else I turned to that trusty genre, Sci Fi. Now as we all know Science Fiction can be good and when it is, it is often great, but it can also be bad, really bad, Torchwood ringing any bells? Battlestar Galactica was one of those show I had attributed to the bad column, after all what could a remake of a seventies show that didn’t survive past its first season possibly have to offer the modern sci-fi geek? Thus in my ignorance I ignored it, until at last the cupboard was bare and I decided to give the pilot a go, after all, how bad could it be?

That was a month ago, I’m now on the final episode of season 3! I’m hooked! And during my research into what is coming up in September I discovered that BSG is due to have its own spin off series, Caprica. I couldn’t wait to watch it, although at first I struggled, trying to decide if it would ruin how I saw the remainder of BSG, but after much umming and ahhing I plonked myself down and watched the two hour pilot.

What follows is, hopefully, a spoiler free commentary on the quality of the show and if I believe it has a future on our screens. (P.s. If you’re too lazy to read on any further, I do… watch it!)

The episode opens with the line “58 years before the fall.” Already we know when we are and the title of the show tells us where. A lot of what happens in the pilot and by extension the upcoming Tv show, is designed to inform us about life in the Thirteen Colonies, in particular Caprica. Where BSG only touched on this in the attempts to reinstate their civilisation, Caprica is already  living in it. For example the episode opens with some rather graphic depictions of what teenagers do for relaxation on Caprica (Boobs, boobs and more boobs.) and it gives us an insight into the culture in a way that BSG could never do, because that culture no longer exists.

Although, like BSG, Caprica has a large ensemble cast, the story focuses mainly on three people. The first of these is the prodigy Zoe Graystone. Teenager and idealist, she and her two friends are planning to leave Caprica and head to Geminon. Zoe has created a virtual version of herself, capable of infinite impendent thought, of learning and expressing emotion. It is not entirely clear why she has done so, but Zoe clearly has a plan for her cyber-self once they reach Geminon.

The second major character is Joseph Adams.

***pathetically minor spoiler*** One of the final revelations of episode is that Joseph Adams, with his son William, is actually Joseph Adama. However if you have watched at least some of season 3 of BSG you will know Bill Adama’s father was a lawyer  and called Joseph. On top of that Esai Morales who plays Joseph looks like a young Bill Adama, so really we all guessed who he was! ***spoiler over***

Anyway, Joseph Adams is a lawyer on Caprica, with a son called William. The pilot focuses on a disaster and the aftermath that leads to a chance meeting between Joseph and the next key player, Zoe’s father, Daniel Graystone. Through Joseph the show attempts to bring to the fore the issues of race and class, in a way that BSG could not, after all, long running racial storylines only detract from the true focus of BSG, not so with Caprica. In fact the race and class divide will act as a driving force behind many of Joseph Adam’s actions in the series I’m sure.

The final player is Daniel Graystone. He is a genius inventor who created the Holoband, virtual worlds, somewhat akin to a series of mini Matrix’s (1999 film) just less invasive (You don’t have to shove a spike into a plug socket in the back of your head.) However at the start of the episode he is working on the A.I. for a robot that is clearly a Cylon Prototype.

Caprica and BSG both deal with similar issues. For example much of the pilot episode is about dealing with loss and clearly the episode is laying the groundwork for the first Cylon War to take place, something that I think we may see before the end of season 1. However Caprica aims to deal with many other issues too, such as religion and the lack of tolerance for unorthodox religions. It deals with issues that are pertinent today in own world, such as fear of  religious fanatics, of how those that don’t understand religion and race often jump to fear as a natural response. It deals with issues of class and racism and it asks difficult questions about ethics and morals.

Ok, so I’ve said all I can say without giving anything away. Now its time for my opinions. Did I like Caprica’s pilot as much as BSG’s? The simple answer is no. However, truthfully, it is impossible to compare the two. BSG is action packed, things explode, killer robots that look human destroy the known civilised world, its a hair raising three hours. Caprica however is much more subtle, sure, some things blow up, there is even a killer robot but this  show is about something deeper, it asks those moral questions that make us feel uncomfortable, but in a good way. It brings us a richly developed culture and asks us to delve into it and explore its faults and its failings. It challenges us to think about our own world and the injustices that exist.

So then, Caprica is a heavy going, soap opera in an unfamiliar universe? No! It still has that gritty feeling that Battlestar has, the writing acting and casting are all excellent. The CG is mostly superb, although there are some weaker moments. It is rich and vibrant and although I have used the words 

“uncomfortable” “moral” “ethics”

this show is not about preaching or condemning, it is about connecting. Bringing us recognisable situations that allow us as an audience to  sympathise. Because we can recognise the situations the characters find themselves in, despite the alien nature of the world and the society, we find that we understand, maybe even support the morally ambiguous characters and we care for them, even when they do things wrong, even when we know the consequences for their actions will ultimately be the destruction of the human race!

And that is the beauty of Caprica.

So, yes, I will be tuning in come December (So I believe.) But for now I will just have to make do with the final season of Battlestar Galactica.

Anyway, that’s My Two Cents, “So Say We All.”