The Others Follow the Leader in Lost…

So, following Daniel’s death Jack swaps roles with John Locke and  becomes the man of Faith, while Locke takes on the role of Sayid as the man of Action and poor old Richard gets stuck between them both.

Down on the beach in 2007 Richard Alpert is finishing construction on a ship in a bottle. I’m assuming its a model of the Black Rock, possibly a hint to Richard’s own origins? Locke comes down the beach, a boar slung over his shoulders and tells Richard they have an errand to run. This is new for Locke, the new spiritually enlightened Locke is telling Richard what to do, where as the old Locke looked to him for answers. Richard comments on the change in Locke and John replies “I have a purpose now!”

John has a purpose? In 2007? Doesn’t that suggest that whatever Jack Kate and Sawyer are doing back in 1977 has no purpose?

Sun and Ben approach keeping their distance and proceeding to give a little exposition for the benefit of those who haven’t quite been keeping up. “His name is Richard Alpert, he’s a kind of advisor…  and he has had that job for a very very long time.” Realising what he means Sun dashes up to Richard hoping that he has seen her husband. “Yes I was here 30 years ago and yes I remember meeting these people because I watched them all die!”

Really? All of them? Well as we will see later in this episode at least three of the people in the photo get off the island before the incident, however I can’t think, offhand, when Richard has ever been anything but truthful, so why would he lie now? Also having recently re-watched season 4, in particular “Cabin Fever” where Horace admits to having been dead for 12 years in 2004, we can safely assume that the purge didn’t happen until 1992, so did Richard see them all die in 1977 or 1992 as he was likely present at both events?

Anyway, Locke asks Richard for his compass back and then Richard and Ben head off into the jungle. However not before Locke promises Sun he will help find a way to save Jin. The problem I have here is why Sun stayed in 2007? Why was she not dragged back in time like everyone else? Is it because she was not supposed to be on flight 815? Was she supposed to leave Jin because their destinies lay apart from one another?

Jack and Kate are brought before Ellie, who, having read the message future Ellie wrote, realises that Daniel is telling the truth and that he is her son. I’m also thinking that either Ellie is pregnant with or has already given birth to baby Daniel by this point. Before Ellie questions them, Jack and Kate discuss just exact what will happen if they put things right. “Our plane never crashes, flight 815 lands in Los Angeles” Jack says. “And everyone we lost since we got here, they’d all be alive.” (That’s the self sacrificing Jack we all know and love.) “And what about us?” Kate responds, selfishly. “We just go on, living our lives, because we’ve never met.” Jack has just told her they can save the lives of everyone, all three hundred and odd people and all Kate can say is “What about us?” The same Kate who told Jack she didn’t want to see him again?

Ellie enters and demands to know what Daniel planned to do with the H-bomb, codename “Jughead”. Jack tells her that Daniel had figured out a way to change things and that if she helps him she wont have killed Daniel, that she can take it all back. Ellie turns to Kate and asks “Does he know what he’s taking about?” Kate replies “He thinks he does.” And with a season to go and the need for a finale I'm inclined to agree with Kate, Jack is wrong. Daniel has always insisted that you cannot change the past, but he has realised that they are an integral part of it, that in order to  preserve things everything must happen as it did before, including his own death and to ensure that happened after he died he gave Jack hope that he could change things. Thus I think that Jack will echo John Locke’s words at the end of season 2 “What have I done?”

Back at the Dharma security station Sawyer and Juliet are being interrogated by Radzinsky, Horace and Phil. Sawyer refuses to talk and Radzinsky beats him. Horace tries to stop him but Radzinsky has taken charge and refuses to acknowledge Horace’s authority.

Hugo, Miles and Jin are making their plans to escape when Chang  catches them. Troubled by Faraday’s “We’re from the future” talk he confronts Miles and Hurley and quickly breaks down Hurley’s alibi “Who is the president of the united states?” “Alright dude, we’re from the future.” Chang inquires about the incident and Miles tells him that if Daniel warned him he should listen.

Meanwhile back in 2007 Locke and Richard prepare for Locke’s jump forward in time when Richard will give him the compass and tells him he needs to bring everyone back to the island. They arrive at almost the exact moment, a point which is commented on by Ben. “Your timing is impeccable John, how did you know when to be here?” Locke replies “The Island told me.” Something it had never done with Ben, maybe because Ben was never meant to be in charge and that his usurpation of Charles’ position was in someway against the island’s wishes, which brings into question Richard and if he really has the islands best interests at heart. After all it was he who healed Ben and he who instated Ben as leader.

Chang comes into the security station and tells them to evacuate, but he stops in his tracks when he sees Sawyer and Juliet. Stuart Radzinsky turns on Chang and asks him why he isn't at the Swan. Chang replies that he believes there will be a cataclysmic event  should they continue drilling. Stuart replies they will drill and on schedule. Chang turns to Horace “You’re in charge.” but Stuart cuts him off “He’s not in charge anymore!” Is that why Radzinsky ends up in the swan, his penance for ignoring the warning is to push the button? Is it because he feels guilty for all the lives lost that he blows the back of his head off all over the ceiling of the Swan?

Sawyer realises the danger they are all in, and unable to save anyone else, he chooses to save himself and Juliet by turning the Others in for a place on the Sub. A tactic he had admonished Michael for only last season.

Richard and Ellie have brought Jack and Kate to the river where Sayid meets up with them. Kate is appalled by the two men and there way of dealing with things and so once again she storms off into the jungle. Does that girl ever stick with anything? She spends more time traipsing across the island from one group to the other than she ever does actually in the group.

Hurley, Jin and Miles spy on Chang as he demands his wife gets on the sub with baby Miles, yelling at her so that she will leave, giving Miles closure, letting him know that his father really did love his mother and that he made her leave to save her. Juliet and Sawyer are loaded into the sub as well and before climbing down inside Sawyer turns around long enough to mutter “Good riddance.” Is it really though? Is that it for Sawyer and Juliet? If  they are off the island in 1977 can they make it back to 2007? Sawyer and Juliet have a touching moment where each says “I love you” only for it to ruined moments later as Kate is thrown in as well and the sub sets off in some of the worst CG on Lost to date.

Jack, Richard, Ellie and Sayid swim under the river to the tunnels where the bomb is. Sayid points out that Ellie is only helping them because she wants to wipe out the Dharma Initiative and Jack replies he knows, but still trusts her… I wonder if Ellie gets herself kicked off the island before Charles, for helping Jack and Sayid maybe, because right now it looks like she is charge not Charles yet later on he definitely is. That make me wonder if she is Penny’s mother, that it was her that Charles left the island so frequently for, that eventually got him kicked out too?

Back on the beach John has rounded up the Others and is taking them to see Jacob. Richard is not happy about this, remarking to Ben “I think John Locke is gonna be trouble.” Ben replies “Why do you think I tried to kill him?” As they march off down the beach Ben lets Locke know Richard’s reservations, maybe because Smokey-Alex has told Ben to side with Locke or maybe because Ben is playing Richard and Locke off against each other in the hope of regaining power. Ben tells Locke that he is here to help and if Jacob can help Locke get back to his people then… but Locke replies, a mite too quickly. “I’m not interested in being reunited with my people. That’s not why we’re going to Jacob. “ “Then why?” replies Ben. “So i can kill him!” Wyyyyoooo Doof “LOST”

So that’s it for another week. Richard really has “Lost” control  hasn’t he? I’m guessing he couldn’t stop Jack back in 1977 and now he has Locke to contend with in 2007. Of course there are other questions to contend with too. Is there really a Jacob or is Richard the man behind the mask? Is the concept of Jacob just a way to keep the Others in line or is there really a greater power on the island? And if there is, can it be killed?

And what about this for a theory? I think that it may have all happened before. Jack’s dad, Christian Shepherd, was responsible for Jack and Anna being on the plane and in a lesser way for Claire too, all of whom have had a major influence on events on the island. He, like John, was dead and like John is now walking about  the island. So I pose the question, did Christian have to die to return to the island, like John too? Was Christian Shepherd a part of the Dharma Initiative or an Other?

I just thought I'd throw it out there. Anyhow, that’s my Two Cents until next time when I will bring you my take on Heroes Volume 4: Fugitives.  

Wash is Back… And This Time It’s Personal!

It seems like forever ago since I last wrote about Dollhouse and during its week off I missed it like I’d miss a limb, well maybe not, but I still love the show. I know I should have probably done this on Friday but this weeks episode is currently #10 on the iTunes chart for Drama, interesting two places below fellow endangered Tv show from CBS “The Unit.”

Anyway, as you probably guessed from the title of this post old favourite, Alan Tudyk is back on our screens in this latest episode of Dollhouse and I know I say this every week, but Best Episode Yet! I have an unfortunate habit of completely ignoring any credits that flash across the bottom of the screen when i watch Tv, I like to think that this is because i don’t like to have the plot ruined for me by knowing who will be in the episode, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. So I didn’t know that Alan was going to be in the episode until recognised his mug shot and got very excited!

So, this weeks episode begins with Echo reading the story of Briar Rose, which as far as i can tell is Sleeping Beauty. One girl, Susan, reacts badly to the story, destroying the book. In particular she objects to the Prince coming to save Briar Rose, presumably because no prince ever saved her from her abusive father. Through some creative programming on Topher’s part he has given Echo the same life experiences as the little girl, except that Echo is now a well adjusted woman who uses her life experience to help others. The intention being that Echo could show Susan that it is possible to move on.

Meanwhile Paul Ballard, the focus of this weeks episode, breaks up with Millie, unable to live the double life with her any longer. Topher’s anti-breakup programming kicks in and Millie begs Paul not to go, telling him that she will do whatever necessary. Paul however has made up his mind.

Back in the Dollhouse a flash drive arrives for Mr. Dominic, the ex- head of security who now resides in the Attic, a brain dead body. Fearing they need his help to open the drive DeWitt authorises Mr. Dominic’s personality to be taken “off the shelf” and imprinted into Victor.

Millie, consumed with grief at losing Paul after fighting so hard to be with him go down to the motorway bridge and prepares to throw herself off. November’s assignment as mild mannered Millie, it seems, is finally over and her handler takes her back to the Dollhouse, suicide averted, while Paul follows behind, hoping to be led right to the front door.

Finally free of the Dollhouse and active November, Agent Ballard makes a stop at the FBI HQ to chat with his “woman on the inside” Loomis. He has a theory that for the Dollhouse to be invisible it must produce its own power, water etc. Which is where the environmental systems consultant comes in… a.k.a Stephen Kepler (Alan Tudyk.) Loomis responds with “It’s good thing I’m relatively sure you’re not crazy.” the line that qualifies why she is still helping him, despite the risk to her career.

Back with Susan, Echo is finally making headway. She tells her to look back at the story of Briar Rose and to think of herself as the Prince. “The Prince shows up at the last minute, takes all the credit, that means that Briar Rose was trapped all that time, sleeping, dreaming of getting out, the Prince was her dream, She made him, she made him fight to get her out.” Pause. “Prince.” She finishes, pointing at Susan. However the story of Briar Rose is not all that different from Echo’s own, the only question is, who is Echo’s prince…

So Ballard turns up at Stephen Kepler’s apartment and hilarity ensues. Kepler, a pot addled systems engineer is growing “medicinal carrots” throughout his apartment, a fact that Agent Ballard uses to enlist his help in breaking into the Dollhouse. Alan is brilliant as the twitchy engineer, he had me rocking with laughter and its so very good to see him back with Joss once more.

Victor a.k.a Mr. Dominic is now under the influence of a kind of truth serum and Boyd manages to get the password to the flash drive from him, a single Greek character… Alpha . The drive opens with nothing but a single image of a statue in Paris. Quickly DeWitt and Boyd learn that a body has turned up dead in Paris with Alpha’s signature face slashing and they send Sierra in to investigate.

Meanwhile Ballard and Kepler break into the Dollhouse, tazer Topher, steal a couple of Doll outfits and begin to wander around looking for a computer terminal. Commandeering Dr. Saunders office Kepler sets to work disabling security. Ballard sets off to find Caroline/Echo, unfortunately for him, he finds Boyd too.

A fight breaks out which awaken Victor, worried about his health Dr. Saunders takes him back to her office, where Kepler is still disabling security. Now, this is where i began to wonder, why? Alan’s character had been looking for a way out of the Dollhouse as soon as they broke in. He was worried that if he was discovered he would be killed, why, then, would he stay behind once Ballard had gone?

Doc and Victor walk into the office, no sign of Kepler, then bam! Kepler appears slashing Victor’s face and we realise at last exactly who we’re dealing with… Alan Tudyk is ALPHA!

Boyd orders Echo to run and finally takes Ballard into custody, bringing him before DeWitt for sentencing. She makes it very clear that Ballard wouldn’t be missed and she turns to Boyd and asks “Shall we put him in the chair?”

And that's it… Paul Ballard’s fate remains undecided, Sierra calls in with news that the body in Paris is Stephen Kepler and he was murdered in LA and then shipped to France. Instantly DeWitt checks the security feed and sure enough Alpha is in Topher’s office reprogramming Echo. Echo awakens and smiles. “I remember you… My Prince.”

So Alpha is back and Echo is leaving with him, Ballard is in custody and possibly facing the chair, it’s all very exciting with only one episode to go. However I can’t help wondering if it wasn’t Alpha that Lawrence Dominic was working for all along. Certainly Alpha’s goal seems to have been to get Echo out of the Dollhouse, a goal that ties in neatly with Ballard’s. If it wasn’t then how could Alpha be assured that Ballard would come looking for Kepler? Revealing November as a Doll caused Paul to break up with her, which in turn led him to the Dollhouse and to Kepler. If Alpha was merely an opportunist then who is behind the messages from within the Dollhouse?

And what about next week? Will Victor be ok? Certainly he can’t continue to work as a Doll if Dr. Saunders is anything to go by. And what about Ballard, will DeWitt really send him to the attic? Or will Boyd’s moral code kick in and force him to go rogue in order to save Paul? And what about Alpha and Echo? Is Alpha really only after the girl he loves (who presumably is not Caroline but probably some dream girl Alpha cooked up in Topher’s lab.) or is he going to try and take down the Dollhouse with Echo’s help? Also with the next episode being entitled Omega, the opposite to Alpha in that it is the last letter of the Greek alphabet and thus commonly associated with “The End”, will it be the End for the show or for Alpha? Or is it the name of a new Active brought in to bring down Alpha and Echo?

Whatever happens I’m right there with this show, on the edge of my seat, just waiting to find out. Anyway, that’s my Two Cents, until Saturday when I will have a Lost update for you.

Chris Fedak has Brass Balls and I Like It!

So the final episode of Chuck’s second season aired this week and it ended with the most optimistic line ever… “To Be Continued…” God bless Chris and Josh and those guys and girls down at Chuck HQ. However one little side note, I’m fairly sure that Gilligan, Shiban and Spotnitz ended The Lone Gunmen with the exact same optimism… I honestly have everything crossed for you that history doesn’t repeat itself.

It was none other than Bryce Larkin himself who said “It’s 1999, the next millennium belongs to the geek.” and its been too long since we’ve had a geeky hero on our screens and that’s Chuck! Since the death of the three nerds Byers, Frohike and Langley (played by Dean Haglund who i once had the pleasure of working with.) The nerd community at large have been without their representative in the TV world. But last year along came Zach Levi and changed all that. Long live Chuck!

So, the finale, Sarah and Bryce are reunited, John gets to rejoin his old marine unit and Chuck finally quits the Buy More… Oh and Ted Roark shows up and ruins Ellie’s wedding day!

So the episode opens with Chuck and Casey quitting the Buy More and the last scene for Tony Hale since it now seems improbable that the Buy More will feature in anyway in a new series should the show be picked up again.

(Sidenote: It could be that the produces are attempting to make the show more appealing to networks by cutting some of the expenses. Certainly the Buy More is the biggest set on the show and it also represents over 50% of the show’s cast. If the Buy More is cut the show is easier to pick up without taking on the entire cast. As it stands the cast of Chuck has 10 cast members on its season credits, cutting the Buy More, even if you keep Morgan cuts that to 6 and if you take Ellie and Devon out of it as they are now happily married and say, have moved to the suburbs, you can cut it to 4. Certainly not a prospect I relish and this is only a theory but if it means Chuck gets picked up… We can always have guest stars…)

So, Chuck bids Emmett goodbye and walks away for the last time, as Emmett calls after him, “What do you think you’re going to do for the rest of your life?” And that Mr. Hale is the question that this episode poses really isn’t it? Not only what does Chuck plan to do but what new direction is the series heading in?

With the Buy More out of the way, Chuck returns to Castle where Beckman offers him a job on the new intersect project. Chuck turns it down, claiming he’s not a hero, he’s just Chuck. However, to be honest, what does Chuck have to go to that is better than what he is being offered. His sister is getting married, his best friend is leaving and if he doesn’t stay in spy world he’ll lose Sarah too. This however seems to be a thought that hadn’t occurred to Chuck. Having declined the offer Casey give Chuck his pay packet and his own personal number for emergencies.

Meanwhile Sarah is informed she will be heading up the new intersect project with Bryce as the new Human Intersect. Its odd but throughout this episode you can see it in Sarah’s face that she doesn’t want to take this new job, least ways not without Chuck, so why does she agree to it? Is it the comfort of the devil you know, as opposed to heading into the unknown, trying to make a go of it with Chuck?

And so we come to the wedding day and Chuck takes Sarah aside and asks her to go on vacation with him and Sarah breaks his heart, not only by refusing but by doing it to be with Bryce. Chuck leaves to drown his sorrows which is when Roark falls upon him, demanding the new intersect cube. Seriously though, I’m not the only one who is fed up of this chase for the intersect and the whole human intersect project right? Seriously have the US Government not heard the proverb “Don’t put all your eggs in the same basket.” Roark threatens to kill Ellie should Chuck fail to bring him the cube.

Chuck gets Morgan to stall while he recruits Bryce and calls Casey. Which naturally leads to a shoot out in the reception room, set to the backdrop of Jeffster (Jeff and Lester’s band) warming up the wedding crowd. Roark is taken down but the reception is ruined, to which Casey replies accusingly “You called!”

To top it all off Jeff ignites a pair of pryos and sets off the sprinklers. Leading to a mass exodus and the rather forced line from Sarah Lancaster “Wedding Cancelled”. Agonising over ruining the happiest day of his sister’s life whilst trying to do the right thing Chuck uses his settlement money to give her the wedding day she really wanted.

As Ellie and Awesome tie the knot Bryce asks Sarah one last time if she is coming with him and tearfully she declines. That’s enough for Bryce and he walks away. Unfortunately the men who are going to download the intersect into him are traitors who have already neutralised Casey. Luckily Orion, who had experimented on himself with the intersect during his youth, flashes in time to warn Chuck and Sarah. They collect a battered and bemused Casey and head after Bryce.

The new non-fulcrum group use Bryce to access the vault with the intersect, where security is exceptionally lax I might add, before shooting him. Bryce topples inside and locks the door behind him. Chuck enters the vault through the roof echoing the opening of the series as Bryce broke into the intersect room in the same way. Bryce breathes his last telling Chuck to take care of Sarah and thrusting the device to destroy the intersect into Chuck’s trembling hands.

Finally faced with the decision of accepting his destiny or destroying it forever Chuck hesitates only moments before uploading the new intersect. The pictures flash and as soon as he has his wits about him once more Chuck uses the device, which although kinda cool looking lacked the explosiveness of Bryce’s last intersect destroying tool.

The door opens and Miles, new evil spy, brings in Sarah and Casey. Realising Chuck has downloaded the new intersect Miles and his cronies surround Chuck, Chuck however didn’t just download the computer this time, but he got service packs one, two and three as well and the mild mannered Nerd Herder deftly disarms the six or so trained assassins that surround him before brutally knocking them into the middle of next week. “Chuck me!” Casey breathes… “Guys…” Chuck murmurs, “I know Kung Fu!”

So i was right. Last week i predicted that Chuck would voluntarily download the intersect, however i did not predict that it would be Bryce’s death that would spark his decision. Although in terms of storytelling it makes sense, it was Bryce’s “death” that gave Chuck the intersect in the first place, against his will and finally when Chuck was able to forgive his friend on his deathbed it would be his death that would cause Chuck to become the hero, to take on the mantle of Bryce Larkin, a real spy.

So we can see a reassembly of Team Chuck, after all Casey’s team is all dead as is Sarah’s (although already in my own household there is debate that Bryce is not really dead and if he isn’t then he too is an intersect…as his eyes were open during the download!) but what about the members of Team Chuck? Big Mike, Jeff and Lester will be hard to shoehorn into a new series without the Buy More. As the only civilian to know Chuck’s identity Devon seems to be an idea candidate to come back next season, that and the fact that Chris and Josh know just how much the fans love him… And, well, how can you not bring Sarah Lancaster back…

But what about Morgan? Chuck cannot exist without Morgan, he is Chewie to Chuck’s Solo, except less effective in a fight. Perhaps Morgan and Anna are doomed to break up and so Morgan returns to become Chuck’s roommate after Devon and Ellie move into their own little love nest?

But of course, this is all speculation… Chuck deserves another season, another chance to win our hearts but for now all is done. So too is NBC’s other hit Monday night show Heroes (expect a blog on that soon.), in a weeks time the doors of Sacred Heart close for the final time as Scrubs finishes its eighth and final season, with Dollhouse finishing that week too and with Fringe, Lost and the Unit finishing the week after, all that will be left is Reaper, which really leaves one question… What DVD do i buy next?

This has been Chuck and that was My Two Cents… Come back soon :)

That’s All Folk’s… Or Is It?

So it looks like Chuck is wrapping itself up, in fact it almost screams “Cancel Me!” with this weeks episode Chuck vs. the Colonel.

I watched Chuck vs. the First Kill and vs. the Colonel back to back last night, which, as they are practically two parts of the same episode, worked out rather nicely. Nearly every loose end was wrapped up across these two episodes leaving the show in a good place if it is to be cancelled, however, there is still one episode left this season and knowing Chuck, it’s going to take this weeks nicely balled up string and run amok with it, leaving the show so tangled that it just has to come back! *Fingers Crossed*

Ok, so since the start of the second season I’ve had a couple of predictions about the direction the show would take. One was that Sarah and Chuck had to get it on and the second was that Morgan would find out about Chuck’s secret life, however EP and writer Matt Miller had different plans.

Chuck vs. the Colonel opens with Chuck and Sarah on the run after General Beckman decides that project Bartowski is over. They arrive at Black Rock, the secret Fulcrum base, that doesn’t exist, where Chuck’s father Orion is being held. Now it may just be me but if i were looking for a secret base I would assume it would be hidden, say, under the ground! But not Chuck and Sarah. Instead they check into a local motel, getting a room with only one bed! Is Chuck really looking for his father, or is he just enjoying being on the lamb with Sarah? Hmmm…

So back at Castle General Beckman promotes Casey to Colonel and then sets him loose on Chuck and Sarah with a kill or capture order. However in his hurry Casey accidentally alerts Devon “Capt. Awesome” and sets the ball rolling for this weeks big shakeup.

Back at the Motel Chuck and Sarah get ready for bed and Chuck makes some noise about sleeping on the floor… He protests too much me thinks… (we’ve all been there Chucky, we know what you’re upto.") However a seemingly clueless Sarah mutters those immortal words we all want to hear “No it’s ok… the floor is gross and I’m not going to make you sleep on it.” and as they lay there together Sarah confesses why she is helping Chuck in a classic touching moment that we have come to expect from these two.

And so they fall asleep and when they wake up they fall into a passionate embrace that has Chuck running to the bathroom to check his wallet, only to find a note from his old buddy Morgan “I owe you one condom” Brilliant!

Casey discovers Chuck and Sarah but so too do Fulcrum and a brilliant fight ensues with a radiator and some exceptional comedy from Adam Baldwin and Zack Levi “You can’t kill me with that radiator, it is far too confined in this car for you to get the appropriate torque.”

Back at the Buy More Morgan is dealing with his bad decision to help Emmett that led to Big Mike getting fired. Devon turns up to ask about Chuck and Casey and so Jeff and Lester show him the contents of John’s locker. Shocked and appalled and just a little scared about his soon-to-be brother-in-law Capt. Awesome makes a house call at Casey’s apartment. The well meaning Captain fails to figure out the truth but accidentally triggers Casey’s burglar alarm, locking himself in Casey’s living room.

Chuck and Sarah are now safely back at Castle, locked in a holding cell when the alarm goes off and Casey goes home. Moments later, as act of defiance to the new management Jeff and Lester blow the power for the entire block, knocking out Castle’s defences and allowing Chuck and Sarah to escape. Meanwhile Casey returns home and is about kill the beloved Dr. Woodcomb and a small part of me thought they might just do it!

Back when I first watched season 1 I couldn’t help but dislike Awesome, I couldn’t see any reason why Ellie liked him or why Chuck was so happy to have him as a brother in law, however now, Ryan McPartlin is so very very charismatic that you can’t help but fall in love with Awesome.

Anyway… Sarah shows up just in the nick of time followed by Chuck, who, so glad to finally have the opportunity to share his burden spills all to the Captain before Sarah or Casey can stop him. After that Chuck and Sarah tie up Casey and flee, heading back to Black Rock to save to Orion, leaving Devon to cover with Ellie. Devon looks himself in the mirror as he wrestles with the news that Chuck is a spy. What an Awesome scene this was, the Captain looked like he would explode he was that conflicted. Brilliant, very funny.

Back at Black Rock Casey catches up with Chuck and warns him that Beckman has ordered an airstrike against the secret Fulcrum base. John points out the three flaws in Chuck’s plan to rescue his father. “You didn’t realise you were being trailed for the last half hour, you didn’t bring nearly enough firepower and you didn’t ask me to join!” Adam is great at delivering lines like this, it’s what made us fall in love with Jayne back on the firefly Serenity and its what makes agent Casey so special. It’d be a shame for Adam to loose another show, after all he hasn’t done a show yet that has lasted three seasons after he joined the cast!

So the three of them end up getting caught and made to watch as Ted Roark puts the intersect to use training a Fulcrum army. Except that, of course, Orion reprogrammed the intersect to wipe Chuck instead. Beckman’s airstrike arrives and the whole group manage to escape with Orion to return home in time for Awesome and Ellie’s wedding (next week), where we have a really nice bonding moment between Casey and Chuck and then Chuck and Sarah.

Back at the Buy More Morgan leaves in order to protect his honour, taking Anna with him as he goes off to pursue his dreams.

Rising from the ashes Ted Roark thumbs a lift, muttering menacingly “Got a wedding to go to…”

So then… everything but the wedding is all wrapped up. Chuck no longer has the intersect in his head (but we don’t know if he still has the Fulcrum intersect in there.) and he and Sarah very-nearly-almost got it on. And someone did find out about Chuck, but it wasn’t Morgan and when i found out it was Devon, i couldn’t honestly think of anyone less likely but at the same time better, a real stroke of genius.

So if the show gets another series, where does it go from here? What will happen when Ted shows up at the wedding? Will Chuck’s cover be blown? Will it be revenge time? Will Ted kill Orion or possibly Ellie or Awesome? Clearly something truly diabolical must be coming because Chuck has to feel the need for revenge otherwise he wouldn’t ask for the intersect to be put back in his head… because lets face it, he’s going to ask for it back. Or maybe next season takes a new direction, maybe Chuck decides to join the CIA and become an Agent. That would lead to a whole different feel to the show and enable them to get away from “The Intersect” driven plotlines for a little while.

And what about the Buy More crew, with Morgan and Anna gone and Chuck finally able to move on with his life will we be saying goodbye to Emmett, Big Mike, Jeff and Lester?

All these questions and more will be answered, but only if NBC (or CW) pick up Chuck for a new season… Please, please, please do! Can’t wait ‘til next week to find out what will happen when Ellie Bartowski becomes Ellie Awesome but until then, this has been My Two Cents.

Is This Goodbye…?

So this week there are rumblings in the TV world that several shows are facing the axe, including several of my favourites!

Firstly it appears NBC would like to make some cuts to make way for Jay Leno, five hours a week apparently. That’s a lot of Jay, its also a lot of cuts. And unfortunately it appears that Chuck is in the firing line.

One of my favourite shows of the year, Chuck, has seen its viewing figures since the hiatus drop from nearly 9 million to just over 6. (Million obviously, otherwise there would no speculation.) Where as its partner in crime Heroes is pulling over 8 million an episode. Don’t get me wrong, I love Heroes and this series has been awesome but i really thought it was for the great trash can in the sky. However NBC has apparently renewed it for next year, however probably only one Chapter as opposed to the two we got this year.

But its not all doom and gloom for poor Chucky, apparently the guys over at the CW are interested in saving the show should NBC drop it. Of course this is not confirmed, but it would be great if Chuck can be saved. As far as i can tell NBC don’t own the rights to the series so another network should be able to pick it up, unlike the ill-fated Firefly! And of course if CW did pick Chuck up it could join two of my favourite shows Reaper and Supernatural!

Anyway, talking of Firefly, that brings us nicely to the old Fox vs. Whedon bit! Joss is so incredibly talented and he generates such loyalty from fans that you would have thought by now that networks would just leave him to get on with stuff, but talk is rife about Dollhouse facing extinction without even reaching  its second season. Now, as far as i know, none of this talk is from Fox themselves. Like i said, they’ve made the mistake of cancelling Whedon projects too early before and they also canned Eliza’s show Tru Calling after only a season, in favour of Marti Noxon’s excellent but ultimately doomed Point Pleasant. Hopefully all of that has taught the network that Joss can do it, but still people speculate. 

So, the actual figures? Well the most recent episode managed 3.6 million viewers. And while brothers Joss and Jed fret over that figure brother Zack has to worry about his gravy train pulling out too! Zack has written or co-written three episodes of the new Fox series Fringe and there is talk that Fringe, like its extras, are not long for this world.

So, in short, yey for Heroes and Lost (which is almost defiantly going to get whatever it wants.) but tonight our prayers and eyeballs are with those shows in the cutting room! (I know that’s not where network cuts actually happen)

Anyway, that’s My Two Cents, please, please, please keep watching Chuck, Dollhouse and Fringe so that we can keep these shows on the air! Thank you.

Dead is Dead for John Locke

So, the mystery revealed, the title of this weeks episode of Lost is about not Ben, but Locke (shoulda seen that one coming I guess), however it really answers another, maybe more important question, while posing a whole host of others.

This week’s episode was by far and away the best episode so far this season. Although the title might be about Locke it is Ben who gets centre stage. So far in Lost history I can only think of two Ben central episodes and only one of those is a Flashback episode. In Season 3’s “Man Behind the Curtain” we learn that Ben hates his father and will eventually grow up to kill him, in this episode we see how he gets there.

As with a lot of this series’ flashbacks, some of what we learn here is already assumed and in most cases assumed correctly. For example we already knew that Ben stole Alex as a baby (it was even in the ‘Previously on Lost’ for this episode.). Another problem I have with Flashbacks in this series is the inclusion of Characters as exposition. What I mean by this is that characters are put into scenes where they don’t necessarily fit because it saves time on explaining their back story. For example why would Ben take Ethan with him when Charles sent him to assassinate Rousseau? Ethan is a child and certainly shouldn’t be killing anyone. Therefore i can only conclude he was there so we could see he had joined the others as a child (and as yet another echo of seasons past, when Ethan will lead the hunt for Claire’s baby). What isn’t explained is how or why. Did Ben bring him over? Or is he still living in Dharmaville like Ben but moonlighting as an Other? Has Amy died and so young Ethan has been orphaned and taken by the Others? Or is he one of those “the Island chose”?

Twice during this episode Charles Widmore’s authority is undermined. Firstly Richard is admonished for saving Ben, however Richard simply tells Charles, “The Island chooses who the Island chooses” and then later Ben defies him by not killing baby Alex. So did the Island choose Alex too? Did it appoint Ben Linus as her protector? And if Alex and Ethan were chosen then why did the island allow them to be killed? Is the answer in the title? Dead is Dead? As Ben will later reveal, ”Dead is Dead and there is no coming back from that, even here.”

And of course, Ben’s baby snatching habits continued long into adulthood and maybe we should ask the question what were his true intentions with Aaron? After all, Charles doesn’t answer the question “Is killing this baby what Jacob wants?”… What if it is? We certainly couldn’t be sure if there are any child births after this point on the island. After all Charlotte/Miles/Daniel and Ethan (all possible island births i can think of) were all born before baby Alex and assuming no pregnant ladies crashed on the island in the intervening sixteen years then Aaron would be the first baby since Alex and if Jacob wants no new human life on the island, then maybe Ben was really trying to kill Aaron, on Jacob’s orders.

And no Ben-centric episode would be complete without a mention of the Rules. The rules, the glue that holds the very fabric of time (and the show) together. We learn how Charles gets exiled. It couldn’t be all that long before the 815 plane crash. Alex is maybe six, so ten years (although Charles claims its nearly twenty) and Desmond crashed there three years before that. (Side note: I wonder, i can’t remember, but if Widmore’s yacht race was an annual thing he could have been using it to find the island. I wonder if he knew what had happened when Des didn’t return? Did he even know that Des would go, after all he seems to have foresight and is Libby in anyway connected to Widmore, as it was her boat?)

Anyway, Charles is kicked off the island because he left it often and had a child with an outsider. Personally i can’t blame him, the choice of Others is quite slim. Now if this was ten years before the 815 crash and we trust IMDB to tell us Sonya Walger (Penny Widmore) ‘s true age then that would mean it took the Others 24 years to realise this… (23 years would be a nicer number, lets pick that, then people can read additional meaning into it.) Seriously? Banishing him for a crime he committed 24 years previous?

And once again, as he is being banished Charles brings up Alex. Ben says “I will sacrifice everything for the good of the Island.” to which Charles replies “You wouldn’t sacrifice Alex.” Ben refutes this saying “It was you who wanted her dead, not the island.” bringing us to the crux of the matter “I hope you’re right Benjamin, because if it is the island who wants her dead, she’ll be dead… and you’ll finally realise you cannot fight the inevitable.”

Well Charles was right, but what is the inevitable? Is it that Ben is to be replaced, that he is not the messiah the Others believe in? After all we have to assume that both Ben and Charles were fed the same story about being chosen that Locke was, it would be the only way to explain why Richard would be so subservient to them.

In Ben’s final flashback he goes after Penny Widmore, just as he promised Charles he would. Just before we get this flash Ben asks Sun to find Des and tell him he’s sorry, leading us to believe that he killed Pen and that Des survived the attack. Somewhat wishful thinking on Ben’s part because he shot Des in the abdomen where he could puncture any number of vital organs, that wouldn’t necessarily kill the Scotsman out right . Ben however cannot kill Penny when he sees young Charlie and Desmond flies into an adrenaline fuelled rage and pommels Ben into the beaten and blooded fellow we see boarding the plane.

So Penny and Desmond(?) survive, hopefully to return in season six, maybe with young Charlie in tow. Meanwhile in Island time, Locke and Ben flee back to the main island, after Ben kills Caesar with a shotgun, who he had befriended mere moments earlier. I wonder if the name Benjamin can trace its roots from Brutus? After all Lost is not afraid to draw on mythology for it muse. In fact, Lost is menagerie of influence, which has caused it to become aimless in theological comparisons. I digress.

Ben is returning to the Island to be judged and Locke it seems has been chosen as his spirit guide, somewhat akin to Eko and Yemi. They meet up with Frank and Sun and Frank abandons them and returns to Ilana only for her to pull a gun on him. Poor Old Frank, glad to see the beard returning, he looks so odd clean shaven. So have the 316er’s already turned all Lord of the Flies, or is there a dark mystery at work here? My vote, dark mystery!

Returning to Ben, he and Sun have a heart to heart where Ben mutters the immortal words “Dead is dead, you don’t get to come back from that, not even here. So the fact that John Locke is walking around this island scares the living hell out of me.” So Dead is Dead? Well that certainly puts the kibosh on so many theories, that for example Jin, Locke and Rose are all dead, which is why they appeared cured. It also supports Lindelof and Cuse’s insistence that Christian Shepherd is dead and therefore by extension so too is Locke, so who the hell is walking about the island? Is Christian really just Christian, as Locke is Locke? Have we therefore not actually met Jacob? How is the Island able to manifest corporeal bodies such as Locke, Christian, Dave, Kate’s Horse, Horace and now in this episode Alex? And why can it only become dead people? Even worse why can it’s reach extend off the Island in the case of Hurley (who has seen Anna Lucia, Charlie, Eko and others)?

One thing is certain now that Locke is dead, he wont be leaving the Island. His death has certainly given him fresh insight into the Island, as he leads Ben all the way to the Temple without aid and he even knows that Smokey lives beneath it. But if Locke is dead (avoiding the obvious Jesus Christ metaphor) can he still be the messiah the Others have been waiting for? Has the Island brought John back because it still has a purpose for him?

Finally Ben enters the Temple, which is covered with Egyptian hieroglyphics (and I’m not about to translate it all to look for hidden meaning) where Ben is to be judged, by none other than Alex. Somehow he passes and his penance is to follow John Locke. However, other than the counter in the swan hatch (which was Dharma and not Other in nature) I honestly don’t see the Egyptian influence in the show. In fact it draws more parallels with Christian mythology than it does with Egyptian and the two hardly go hand in hand. For example the presence of a single omnipresent god-creature (like Jacob) is opposed to the pantheon of gods in the Egyptian mythology. I’m just not sure I’m convinced…

Anyway, its been a long rant this week and think i missed out half of my questions, but this has been My Two Cents.

Straight to DVD for Dollhouse

So the news that the 13th episode of Dollhouse will not air comes as little surprise to Whedon Fans. Apparently Dr. Horrible actress Felicia Day guest stars in what is being called episode 13 of the series… of course we know the truth… its really episode 14.

Fox bought 13 episodes but after the pilot was scrapped (deemed un-airable apparently) this brought the count down to twelve and now there seems to be some kind of war about the the extra episode and who should pay what. Anyway, the upshot appears to be that the episode, along with pilot will only be seen on DVD. Joss confirms that Omega (episode 12) of the show was always intended to be the finale (I’m not sure if that is finale before hiatus or finale season 1.)

But this got me thinking about Joss Whedon pilots… Not one of them has ever been used! Both Buffy and Angel can boast unaired pilot episodes and Firefly had its pilot shifted to episode 11. Maybe Joss should give up writing pilots and just start the series somewhere midseason, maybe then the studios wouldn’t pick on him!

Anyway, down to business, this weeks episode of Dollhouse was as good as it was segmented, i.e. very! If you don't want to know the score look away now, because we have spoilers coming up.

We finally learn what the attic is, we uncover DeWitt’s dirty little secret and we are left wondering just what’s up Doc?

This episode is told in four segments following the four major dolls, quite an uncomfortable style for this show especially so early on, that said however it is nice to see Sierra, Victor and November all getting equal spotlight time this week.

The first segment follows November/Mellie as she returns to Paul with a message from within the Dollhouse. “Our person inside has been captured.” But at this point we don't know who that is, although we are led to believe there are any number of suspects including Topher’s assistant Ivy and Echoes handler Boyd. I’m also interested in the use of the word “we”, who is we? We implies plural and I wonder if there is more than one mole inside the Dollhouse(s). Finally Mellie echoes Echo’s words from episode 6 “The Dollhouse deals in fantasy but that is not their purpose.” just in case we missed the significance last time…

In fact much of the Dollhouse script is based on repetition, “Did i fall asleep?” “Would you like a treatment?” etc, I wouldn’t be surprised if these words don't hold some deeper meaning.” The Dollhouse deals in fantasy but that is not their purpose.”

The second segment follows Sierra as she breaks into the NSA, who it appears have a reasonable lax security system, after all the guard seems to know the woman Sierra impersonates pretty well “You know the drill.”, you’d think he’d notice that her face had changed shape? Anyhow, improbability aside, Sierra breaks into the NSA and uncovers their mole inside the Dollhouse, intel we wont get until segment four.

The third part focuses on Victor and Miss Lonely Hearts, who turns out to be none other than Adelle DeWitt. So the Head of the LA branch of the Dollhouse is a regular client? Interesting considering how thoroughly the House is supposed to vet their clients. Through this episode DeWitt expresses a desire to be out of the House, away from the lies, free to live the life she wants, presumably with Victor. (Interestingly Victor seems pre-programmed with the knowledge of their prior engagements. Is it therefore possible to store an imprint on pause? Re-imprinting the doll with all the knowledge it gained the last time it used the imprint? And how accessible is the information contained within an imprint?) However by the end of their encounter she realises that there is no happy ending for her, she has sold her soul and she has to live with it.

All true, but I wouldn’t discount Miss DeWitt yet, i still believe she is part of the “We” especially at the end of this weeks episode when she declines Topher’s offer to re-wipe Echo.

So finally we reach the conclusion, Echo, who is becoming self aware approaches Topher and asks him to imprint her. For some reason he takes her advice and uses her to rat out the mole. Mr. Dominic the Security Chief agrees to let Echo do her thing until Sierra gets back with the intel. However Echo doesn’t conclude her investigation before Sierra gets back and lays the blame on Ivy. Of course Echo deduces that Ivy is innocent and blames Mr. Dominic, who turns out to be an NSA spy.

So the Head of Security is the mole. It certainly would appear so, but did he have the know how to reprogram dolls? What is the aim of the NSA? Why would he help Paul Ballard and why would he claim that his work had actually stopped Ballard? It doesn’t all add up and the missing piece of the puzzle is DeWitt, I’m sure of it.

Finally we discover the nature of the attic and I’ll be honest, it was a lot more sinister when we didn’t know what it was. Admittedly sucking peoples brains out and leaving them zombified is fairly atrocious (Mr. Dominic’s fate…) but its just not as scary as the “The Attic.”, it’s somewhat akin to the Smoke Monster in Lost, we want to know what it is, but at the same time it’s always going to better not knowing.

Also this week we learn that Dr. Saunders never leaves the Dollhouse. Boyd gets promoted to Head of Security and Echo gets a new handler. Important details that i just couldn’t fit into the four sections. Also Topher calls himself a genius and we all know what it is pride comes before…

So a good episode with some nice reveals, but I can’t help but feel that the audience is cheering for the wrong side. After all, this episode paints Dominic as the bad guy, he does try to kill Echo, but if Echo we really Caroline who’s side would she be fighting on? Also I really liked the end of the episode that dealt with Echo’s self-awareness, the fact that DeWitt knows about it and is actively encouraging it is definitely intriguing.

Anyways, that’s about it for My Two Cents, I’ll leave you to make up your own mind. Coming soon Lost “Dead is Dead.”

Dollhouse is currently airing on Fridays at 9pm on Fox. Don't miss the last three episodes…