 After some time on the Sci-Fi Channel’s backburner, Ronald D. Moore’s “Caprica,” a spin-off to “Battlestar Galactica,” has been cast. They’re starting with a two-hour pilot, and I guess they’re going from there.
Esai Morales (”Jericho,” “NYPD Blue”) will play Joseph Adama, the father of Will Adama. Morales is inherently watchable and should provide a great cornerstone for the series. Paula Malcomson (who played Trixie on “Deadwood”) will play a surgeon who is also a double agent, while Eric Stoltz (”Some Kind of Wonderful,” “Mask,” “Pulp Fiction”) will play a wealthy computer engineer whose work will give birth to the Cylons. I’m fans of both Malcomson and Stoltz as well, so I’m pretty pumped about this cast. Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and TV Action and External Entertainment and External TV and Battlestar Galactica and TV Sci-Fi Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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Maybe they should rename this show “Demetrius,” because things are a hell of a lot more interesting on that ship than they are on good ol’ Galactica. Let’s jump to the end and discuss what the hybrid said (and correct me if I’m wrong): The dying leader will know the truth of the opera house. The missing three will give you the five, who have come from the home of the thirteenth. You are the harbinger of death, Cara Thrace. You will lead them all to their end. I was all ready to theorize about this on my own, but Cara and Co. were kind enough to spell it out for us. Apparently, the final five Cylons – Tigh, Sam, Tyrol, Tory and ? – came from the thirteenth colony (Earth) and can lead the fleet back. In order to identify the five, the Cylons need to reactivate D’Anna, as she’s the only one who knows their identities. Presumably, she’ll lead them to the five and the five will lead them to Earth. Okay, that should be easy enough, right? But then there’s the whole thing about Starbuck being the “harbinger of death” and that she will “lead them all to their end.” Honestly, that doesn’t sound very good. So the prophecy kind of contradicts itself. Presumably, getting to Earth is a good thing, though the hybrid made it sound like they were on the road to death. It’s possible that she was talking about just the Cylons (or just the humans), and how Cara will lead them to their doom. There’s a lot to chew on there. Back on Galactica, President Roslin gave more responsibility to Tory (great!) before going to see Doc Coddle for her cancer treatments. (By the way, I have a theory that Coddle is in fact the final Cylon because he is always there in sick bay when something major happens. Humans need to sleep sometime, right?) Anyway, while there, Roslin met a friend, Emily (played by Nana Visitor, who also played Major Kira on “Star Trek: DS9”). I think Emily’s role was to get the President thinking about death, the One God, and Baltar’s sermons. Apparently, Roslin could have joined her mother (played by Barbara Bush) but instead decided to go back to the land of the living. Good for her. I’m not real clear on what the Eight did in the hybrid room. Was she trying to kill it? The Centurion must have thought so because he dumped some lead into her, so that might have been part of the Eights vs. Sixes mini-war that was going on behind the scenes. Or maybe the Centurion just took issue with the Eight trying to take the hybrid offline at all. Things seem to be picking up, which is definitely a good thing. I just hope that the show Adama’s face when Cara Thrace jumps back to the fleet with a basestar in her back pocket. I also wonder if anything is going to come of Sam placing his hand onto the controls of the basestar. He didn’t touch it for long, but he did touch it. Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and TV Action and External TV and Battlestar Galactica and TV Sci-Fi Comments: 5 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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This week’s episode provided a little bit of movement in the two more compelling ongoing storylines: the fate of the Demetrius and the intra-Cylon war. While I understand how Starbuck’s crew is getting eager to return to the fleet, what are the odds that they stumble upon Leoben at the site of an intra-Cylon battle? It’s obviously not a coincidence so either Starbuck (skinjob or not) is indeed on the path to Earth or she’s (intentionally or unintentionally) leading the ship into a trap. This is the first good clue the ship has discovered on its mission, and there simply isn’t time to go back and check in with the fleet before following the clue to see where it leads. However, that makes me wonder why Adama and Starbuck wouldn’t arrange for some backup meeting point and time if the circumstances prohibited the Demetrius from returning to the fleet at the 60-day mark. Maybe the solution is for Starbuck another crewmember to take a raptor or two and follow the clue while the rest of the crew meets up with the fleet. One thing’s for certain - Starbuck needs to talk to the hybrid, and fast. Leoben wants to form an alliance between the humans and the remaining Sixes, Eights and Twos that would allow Cara to fulfill her destiny, which Leoben says is to lead the humans to Earth. Back on Galactica, Baltar’s tiresome evangelizing intersected with the Tyrol’s semi-dreary mourning/coming-to-grips storyline. The former Chief decided to shave his head and jump rope in his cabin, which are (apparently) common reactions to discovering that you’re a Cylon and losing your wife to suicide. The whole Tyrol/Baltar holding hands thing seems extraneous right now, though I sure hope there is some purpose to it. Watching Baltar preach just makes me squirm, so I hope that he eventually gets what’s coming to him. Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and TV Action and External Entertainment and External TV and Battlestar Galactica and TV Sci-Fi Comments: 2 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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I like this show as much as the next guy, but his episode was pretty tough to watch. It meandered from depressing storyline to depressing storyline with the speed of a drunk turtle. From the Chief’s badmouthing of his dead wife to Tigh’s fragile grip on reality to Baltar’s fairly lame speech about religion, it was pretty tedious throughout. In fact, it felt a lot like last week’s episode, only without the shocking ending. Hopefully this is a slow buildup and not a trend for the season. A couple of questions occurred to me: 1) Why doesn’t Roslin get another blood transfusion from Hera? That worked the first time, so it would be the first thing I’d try if I were in her situation. 2) What is the meaning of the Chief’s rant in the bar? Was he just trying to get himself reassigned so that he couldn’t do any more damage to the humans or was he seriously upset that he wasn’t able to be with the love of his life (presumably Boomer, who is also a Cylon)? I was never really a fan of the Tigh/Ellen relationship, so seeing her pop back up isn’t a good thing. It was interesting to see Six plant a kiss on Tigh; I thought for a moment that she was going to try to escape (which would have been a whole lot more exciting) but maybe she’s drawn to Tigh because he’s a skinjob. Anyway, we didn’t get any news from the Demetrius or the Cylon fleet, so this episode failed to move those storylines along. From the “next week” scenes, it looks like the Demetrius is heavily involved, so at least we have that to look forward to. Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and TV Action and External TV and Battlestar Galactica and TV Sci-Fi Comments: 5 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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Wow. As I was watching this episode, I couldn’t help but think that it felt a lot like filler. Much of it was dedicated to ho-hum storylines like Lee adjusting to his new job, Cally dealing with the difficulty of motherhood and, of course, the grumpy, unbelieving underlings on Cara’s new ship, the Demetrius. But then it happened. The gritty Cally (whom I’ve always liked, even though she was tough to watch for much of this episode) followed Galen to the weapons locker and managed to learn the truth about the three newly aware skinjobs. Suddenly, the secret was out. It was quite the moment, though I question Tigh’s decision to leave a note for a super-secret meeting where an obviously suspicious Cally could (and did) find it. Several questions jumped to mind. Who would she tell? Would anyone believe her? What would she say to the Chief? And what would she do about Nicholas? It turns out she didn’t want to say anything to Galen. Her world was turned upside down, so she reacted by hitting him over the head with a wrench – by the way, that’s some serious symbolism, considering their professions – and then whisking her baby away to the airlock. Apparently, her solution was to commit murder-suicide without bothering to tell anyone in the fleet that there were more cylons in their midst. It was a little on the unbelievable side, but the writers set it up with all of those sleepless nights earlier in the episode. We were to believe that she was tired and she wasn’t thinking straight. Still, as a new father myself, I was appalled at the prospect of her apparent decision to jettison her son out of an airlock. But there was Tory to “save” the day. Of all the new cylons, she seems to be the most complex. Her speech in the airlock and subsequent betrayal was a shock to the system. I don’t think that it was until I saw a lifeless Cally floating through space that it finally hit me – this is really the last season of “Battlestar Galactica.” Heads will roll. The Cally/Galen/Tory storyline was the crux of the episode, but there were some interesting developments at Cylon HQ as well. Genocide seems to be ruling the day, and it’s unclear which side is going to win out. I’m a little hazy on the whole there’s-no-resurrection-ship-nearby-so-we-can’t-survive line of thinking, as dead skinjobs have never had a problem traveling long distances before. But what the heck, I’ll play along. I thought the best moment of that whole mess was when Six had to say “please” to the Centurion. That moment was just dripping with subtext. Speaking of subtext, it seems like VP Tom’s suspicions about Roslin’s presidency is a commentary on the secretiveness of the administration currently inhabiting the White House. Lee didn’t like Roslin’s attitude when he tried to quell concerns about the Demetrius, so he got a little vindictive and brought up that classified executive order. By the way, wasn’t VP Tom pretty annoying with that little knocker of his? Lastly, on the Demetrius, nothing really happened in Starbuck’s world in the last 22 days, and the natives are getting restless. However, we did learn that she just wants “to frack.” Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and TV Action and External Entertainment and External TV and Battlestar Galactica and TV Sci-Fi Comments: 3 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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“WE’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!” Starbuck’s screams are still echoing in my brain. Last week’s cliffhanger ended rather sheepishly after Cara handed the President her gun. Sure, there was a gunshot, but did anyone really believe that Roslin actually shot Starbuck? For a moment, it looked as if Cara’s actions would be for naught, but by the end of the episode, the Admiral (sort of) came around to her way of thinking. Apparently, she and Helo are going to take a sewage recycling ship and try to find a way to Earth. Since the fleet continues to jump further and further away, I’m not exactly sure how they’ll find a way to Earth and then find their way back to the fleet, but at least she’ll have some company on the trip to verify her discovery. The fuzziness of the plan makes me wonder if we’ll ever get a detailed explanation of why the details of her first trip to Earth are so sketchy. Not much happened with the Four - Tigh, Sam, Tyrol and Tory – other than their secret meeting where they decided to try to use Baltar to find the final Cylon. Considering that Tigh, Sam and Tyrol are so devoted to the humans, it’s surprising that they don’t just turn themselves in. Aren’t they risking the fleet’s destruction? Is there some sort of programming that blocks the ability to tell the truth about themselves? Anyway, Tory quickly infiltrated Baltar’s bed, but that’s not that difficult of a task, is it? Baltar saw a vision of himself for the first time (I believe) and the dynamic was pretty funny. His doppleganger said that he should handle Tory “with care,” to which he responded, “Oh, I’d love to.” I think the Four are barking up the wrong tree with Baltar; I don’t think he knows the identity of the final Cylon – can anyone confirm this? Speaking of the Cylons, there is serious trouble in River City. With all the Number Threes boxed up due to their supposed Messiah defects, there are only six models running things, and they butt heads over whether or not to lobotomize the Raiders. The conflict seems to be the Raiders’ decision to turn tail at the last encounter with the humans, which made Number Six believe that the remaining five Cylons are indeed in the fleet. Number One says that they aren’t allowed to think about it and wants to take away the Radiers’ ability to withdraw from battle. The discussion ends badly for him when Six walks in with a couple of newly-freed Centurions, who are none too pleased with his actions. Does this mean that there are only three models left? And what was the deal with the weird little montage where Boomer (or some other Eight) was dancing around topless while the hybrid ranted gobbledygook? Not that I’m complaining… In (fairly) minor news, Lee has left Galactica to take an empty quorum position. I’m not sure what this means, but methinks he’ll still be involved in the day-to-day happenings of the show. He had a nice little moment with Dualla before he left. I hope her character gets more screen time than she’s been getting in the last few episodes. Lastly, Roslin and Adama had some sharp words about Starbuck that precipitated his decision to let her go. After some back and forth (and a little Psych 101 analysis by the President), Adama quipped, “You’re afraid you may not be the dying leader you thought you were. Or that your death would be as meaningless as everyone else’s.” Ouch. Seriously, why is Roslin so convinced that she knows the way to Earth? Isn’t Cara’s relationship with the Eye of Jupiter enough of a clue that she does in fact know the way to Earth? “WE’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!” Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and TV Action and External Entertainment and External TV and Battlestar Galactica and TV Sci-Fi Comments: 4 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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This video popped up on my TiVo the other day. It’s an eight-minute recap of the entire “Battlestar Galactica” run, and it’s pretty funny. Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and TV Action and External Entertainment and External TV and Battlestar Galactica and TV Sci-Fi Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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It’s pretty amazing that it has been just more than a year since the season three finale of “Battlestar Galactica.” How time flies. I’d like to say that the show is back with a bang, but most of this episode seemed to be a setup for the rest of the season. It was implied that the fifth Cylon would be revealed (it wasn’t) and all of Starbuck’s talk about knowing where Earth is and how she was going to take the fleet there seems to be a bunch of hooey. She probably did visit Earth – she did describe Jupiter and Saturn in detail – but she has no idea how she got there or how to get back. Great. Throw in the fact that she supposedly survived an explosion, lost months of her life and that she’s flying a brand new Viper (that doesn’t have any navigation history) and it’s not surprising that the President is suspicious. She flips out every time the fleet makes a jump in the wrong direction and finally decides to raise a gun on Roslin. That probably isn’t going to end well for her. The opening battle sequence did look terrific. When I think back to the first space battle I ever saw (“Star Wars”), it’s truly amazing how far special effects and CGI have come. This is a basic cable show on a limited budget and they’re able to put together an immense, realistic battle scene. The nice thing is that those special effects are backed up by great writing – otherwise, the show would be paper thin. It was interesting to see the four new skinjobs – the Chief, Tigh, Sam and Tori – deal with their new realities. I felt a little used after Tigh’s fake assassination of Adama, but was impressed with the way they shot that scene. I jumped initially at the gunshot, but knew that they wouldn’t kill off Adama at this point so I figured they were just messing with us. Presumably, the purpose of that scene is to show the kind of internal conflict that Tigh is going through. But is he really driven to assassinate Adama or is he just worried that a switch will flip and he’ll betray his friend someday? Sam and Tyrol are in the same boat as Tigh. Neither want to believe that they are actually Cylons, so they’re going to go on trying to be the men they want to be as long as they can. To me, this would include telling everyone the truth (to protect them), but apparently that’s not in the cards at this point. Sam’s experience in this episode was the most interesting given the fact that he encountered a Raider face-to-face, which precipitated the Cylon retreat. Tori’s character is probably the most questionable, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s the first of the four to betray the humans. Lastly, let’s not forget that Tyrol’s kid is a hybrid – the creators have to address this, right? I’m not a big fan of the whole Gaius/Messiah storyline, and much of the premiere was unfortunately dedicated to his new situation. It was funny that a majority of his new followers are (hot) women and, predictably, it didn’t take too long for him to succumb to the temptation. (But who can blame him? He did spend the last few weeks cooped up in a cell.) The storyline has a cult-ish feel to it, so it will be interesting to see how this affects the big picture. Based on what I’ve read, it does appear that the fleet will find some version of Earth this season. They could arrive in our past, our present or our future, or they could arrive to an alternate version of Earth. They could be the first humans to settle on Earth (maybe the two hybrid babies are Adam and Eve – though all the technology would be a problem) or they could arrive to a futuristic Earth that has the ability to fend of the Cylons. A grimmer possibility is that they arrive to find that the human civilization destroyed itself, not unlike the ending of “Planet of the Apes.” The possibilities are almost endless. The only thing that’s bothering me is Starbuck. How was she able to survive the explosion, travel to Earth, take pictures and travel back in just six Viper hours? Why would the pictures survive if the nav data didn’t? On one hand, it seems like she has to be a Cylon, but that doesn’t explain how she found Earth. Unless the Cylons have already found it…but, in that case, why would they try to lead their enemy there? So many questions, and just nineteen episodes left to answer them all. Let’s get a move on, people! Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and TV Action and External Entertainment and External TV and Battlestar Galactica and TV Sci-Fi Comments: 7 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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With the writers’ strike throwing the TV schedule into a tailspin, it has been difficult to keep up on when our favorite shows are returning. “Battlestar Galactica” begins its fourth and final season on Friday at 9 PM (ET and PT) on SciFi. If you want to watch last season’s finale again, SciFi is running the two-parter, “Crossroads,” at 1 AM and 2 AM (ET and PT). If you live in the middle of the country, check your listings as the time changes depending on which SciFi feed you receive. Remember to check back on Saturday for my blog of premiere episode. Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and TV Action and External Entertainment and External TV and Battlestar Galactica Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
Yes, I know, it’s cutting it pretty darned close to wait until the last couple of days of January 2008 to run a Best of 2007 list, but that’s the problem with these TV DVD sets: there’s a whole lot of viewing involved to get through them, and you don’t want to give anyone the short end of the stick just because your schedule didn’t allow you to give their set a look. With the confidence that I’ve had a chance to check out the majority of the cool stuff that came out in ’07, however, I hereby present my personal picks for the Top 20 TV DVDs of last year. And when you’ve read through my list, check out Bullz-Eye’s Best of the Best staff picks for 2007! (Oh, and don’t forget to pop back by to tell us if we missed anything!)
Filed under: TV and TV DVDs and Reviews and TV Comedies and TV Dramas and TV Action and Rome and South Park and The Office and External Entertainment and External TV and Heroes and Battlestar Galactica and TV Sci-Fi Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
 In these dark days, with the writer’s strike continuing along unabated, new episodes of scripted television are getting harder and harder to come by. For the most part, our favorite series have either run all of the episodes that were finished before the strike or, if their respective networks are really stingy, they’re still holding on to one or two episodes, to dole out as the need arises. There are, however, a few exceptions to that rule, and we’re here to spotlight those series that still have at least half a dozen new episodes on deck. We’re not going to pretend that we here at Bullz-Eye are actually fans of every single one of these shows, but we are fans of scripted comedy and drama, and as steadfast supporters of the writers in this strike, we’d like to think that watching even the worst of these shows is still better than having reality series like “America’s Top Dog” or “Farmer Takes a Wife” shoved down our throats. Start programming your TiVo by clicking here. Filed under: TV and News and TV Comedies and TV Dramas and TV Action and Lost and External Entertainment and External TV and The Wire and Jericho and Battlestar Galactica and TV Sci-Fi Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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Given that the TV season generally runs from September to May, it always feels a little strange doing a year-end wrap-up of the best in television, since you end up bringing in bits and pieces from two separate seasons. Still, between the second half of the 2006 – 2007 season and the first half of the 2007 – 2008 season, we’ve certainly been given plenty of material to work with. Six of our most prolific TV writers have provided their opinions of both the best and the worst that the small screen has had to offer, and while they do occasionally concur on a show, it’s a safe bet that no two people on the Bullz-Eye staff have identical season pass lists on TiVo. Head over to the homepage by clicking here, but don’t forget to swing back by to offer your own opinions! Filed under: TV and Actors and Actresses and News and Reviews and TV Comedies and TV Dramas and TV Action and Lost and The Office and External Entertainment and External TV and The Wire and Heroes and Jericho and Battlestar Galactica and TV Sci-Fi and Reality TV and Reaper and Journeyman and Friday Night Lights Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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For those “Battlestar Galactica” fans that weren’t paying attention, the Sci-Fi channel premiered the two-hour event, “Razor,” last Saturday night. If you missed it, you can check it out on DVD when it hits the shelves on December 4th. With Christmas approaching and the writers’ strike just now starting to affect new programming, there’s never been a better time for newbies interested in getting into “Battlestar Galactica” to finally make the plunge. The first three seasons are out on DVD and the fourth season (starting in March) will be the show’s last, so you know the creators are going to have the freedom to end the series properly. **SPOILER ALERT** When I first heard about “Razor,” I thought it was going to focus completely on the Pegasus crew under Admiral Cain. This provided plenty of story potential, but the creators decided to weave in two other timelines as well. The story jumped back and forth frequently between the Cain’s Pegasus and the time when Lee was in command of the ship and its crew (before the fleet settled on New Caprica). There was also a brief scene where a young William Adama made a gruesome discovery forty years earlier during the First Cylon War. I figured that Kendra Shaw wasn’t long for the BG world considering we haven’t seen her in any subsequent episodes, so her little sacrifice at the end wasn’t all that surprising. Besides, it was a lot more effective the first time Bruce Willis did it in “Armageddon.” Regardless, her interaction with the old man (was that the hybrid?) on the ship revealed something big. He said: “Cara Thrace will lead the human race to its end. She is the herald of the Apocalypse and the harbinger of death. They must not follow her.” Considering Cara returned at the end of season three and promised to lead the fleet to Earth, his words are especially forboding. Of course, he’s the one that kept saying, “This has all happened before and will happen again,” so I don’t know what the point is of trying to dissuade the humans from following Cara. Kendra tried to warn Lee, but of course the Cylons scrambled the signal. It was interesting to see the old school Cylons again. Apparently, they are only used in minor duty, and they aren’t as effective as their newer counterparts. It was also fascinating to see Gina’s backstory on the Pegasus. She went from being Cain’s lover to a rape and torture victim. It makes a little more sense now why Cain was so harsh with Gina. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. “Razor” certainly isn’t for the newbies, but it serves as a nice fix for those of us who can’t wait for the final season to begin. Filed under: TV and TV DVDs and TV Dramas and TV Action and External Entertainment and External TV and Battlestar Galactica and TV Sci-Fi Comments: 8 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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NBC may not be King of the Nielsen Ratings just yet, but we know good television when we see it, and the Peacock has returned in full force with a dominating presence that includes the top three shows and five of the top six. HBO, on the other hand, is experiencing the opposite, with the departure of “The Sopranos,” “Deadwood” and “Rome.” Add to that the fact that our list features a whopping 10 new entries — five of which are freshmen — and you’ve got one heck of a Power Rankings shakeup. Much of this has to do with so many shows being on hiatus until next year, but whatever the cause, it’s nice to see some much-needed change to a usually familiar lineup. And, hey, don’t miss the list of our favorite shows which are currently on hiatus (and are therefore ineligible for the Top-20), our farewell to “The Sopranos,” and our stable of Honorable Mentions. Check out the list here, then come back and let us know how we did…or if we missed any of your favorites! Filed under: TV and Actors and Actresses and News and Reviews and TV Comedies and TV Dramas and TV Action and Rome and Lost and South Park and Prison Break and The Office and 24 and The Shield and The Sopranos and Rescue Me and Deadwood and External Entertainment and External TV and The Wire and Heroes and Jericho and Battlestar Galactica and TV Sci-Fi and Reaper and Journeyman and Friday Night Lights Comments: 2 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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This morning the Sci-Fi Channel announced that the upcoming fourth season of “Battlestar Galactica” would be the show’s swan song. But it was not the decision of the network. Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick just feel like the time is right:
Season four will consist of 20 episodes that will begin in early 2008, but to tide fans over, there is a two-part set to air in November, “Battlestar Galactica: Razor,” that will tell some of the backstory of the Pegasus before it joined the refugee fleet. I was able to sit in on a conference call this afternoon, and while most of the questions asked were about the decision to end the show, the duo didn’t deviate much from the statement above. I did get a chance to pose one question before the call ended. JP: I’d like to ask you about your decision to use a contemporary song, “All Along the Watchtower,” in the season three finale and is there any plan to explain how the song popped up in deep space in season four? RDM: We will touch on it again probably later on in the fourth season, to explain it within the context of the show. It was something I thought about doing in an earlier season – DE: Before that we talked about it being in the mini-series. RDM: Oh, yeah. DE: We were going to open up with Simon and Garfunkel’s…was it “America?” RDM: It was “America.” DE: Yeah, and we talked ourselves out of it because we felt that we were making such a re-invention as it was that it might be a little bananas on bananas. Then, we were talking about playing around – I think it was in episode five of season one – when Helo and Sharon end up in a diner, that maybe there’s a jukebox and maybe it still works and maybe Helo’s screwing around with it and maybe suddenly he hears the song “Yesterday.” And maybe we just don’t explain it. We just kind of go on and, you know, it just felt like one of these ideas that was good enough and big enough to require its own story point and it just took us until now to figure out how to do it really well. I have to applaud the duo for finishing the show on their terms. So many shows either stay around too long or get cutoff midstream with no opportunity for appropriate closure that, while sad, it’s refreshing for a series to identify and properly plan for an end date. Fans know that this is how the story was meant to go, and that’s vitally important. Also, it frees up Moore and Eick to work on other projects (the show’s spinoff, “Caprica” is still alive, buf for some reason isn’t a done deal) without having to spread themselves too thin. “Alias” really suffered when J.J. Abrams was trying to launch “Lost” and there are those (myself included) that would argue that “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” suffered when Joss Whedon was putting the first season of “Firefly” together. It’s sad when great shows go out with a dud (”Alias” was pretty brutal the last few seasons, but Whedon did a nice job with “Buffy” and “Angel”) so this news is exciting from the standpoint that Moore and Eick will be putting a lot of their creative effort into making season four a great one. Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and TV Action and External Entertainment and External TV and Battlestar Galactica Comments: 2 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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Well, kids, NBC has officially released word of its 2007 - 2008 fall season, and here’s what we have to look forward to… Monday The night begins the same way it has for the last several months, with “Deal or No Deal”…but, finally, someone at the network realized that it might be wise to follow “Heroes” with a drama that at least vaguely resembles the program that precedes it. Thus, we have “JOURNEYMAN.” “JOURNEYMAN“– From Emmy Award-winning writer-producer Kevin Falls (”The West Wing”) and Emmy Award-winning director-producer Alex Graves (”The West Wing”), “Journeyman” is a romantic mystery-drama about Dan Vasser (Kevin McKidd, “Rome”), a San Francisco newspaper reporter and family man who inexplicably begins to travel through time and change people’s lives. Along the way, he also must deal with the difficulties and strife at work and home brought on by his sudden disappearances. However, his freewheeling travels through the decades reunite him with his long-lost fiancée Livia (Moon Bloodgood, “Day Break”) — which complicates his present-day life with wife Katie (Gretchen Egolf, “Martial Law”) and their son. Reed Diamond (”Homicide: Life on the Street”) and Charles Henry Wyson (”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) also star. “Journeyman” is a production of 20th Century Fox Television. Falls is executive producer and writer; Graves is executive producer and director of the pilot. By the way, also very much of note is the fact that NBC is spawning a “Heroes” spin-off, entitled “ORIGINS.” The description is thus: “an innovative new spin-off that each week will introduce a new character — one of whom will be chosen by viewers through the ‘Heroes’ website on NBC.com to become a cast regular the following season.” No details yet on when it’ll air, though. TUESDAY Yawn. Another season of “The Biggest Loser” at 8. Hooray! Another season of “Law & Order: SVU” at 10! Sandwiched between the two, we get “CHUCK.” “CHUCK” - From executive producer, Josh Schwartz (”The O.C.”) and executive producer-director McG (”Charlie’s Angels,” “We Are Marshall”) comes a one-hour, comedic spy thriller about Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi, “Less Than Perfect”) - a computer geek who is catapulted into a new career as the government’s most vital secret agent. When Chuck opens an e-mail subliminally encoded with government secrets, he unwittingly downloads an entire server of sensitive data into his brain. Now, the fate of the world lies in the unlikely hands of a guy who works at Buy More. Instead of fighting computer viruses, he must fight assassins and international terrorists. With the government’s most precious secrets in Chuck’s head, Major John Casey (Adam Baldwin, “My Bodyguard”) of the NSA assumes the responsibility of protecting him. His partner is the CIA’s top agent (and Chuck’s first date in years) Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strzechowski, “Gone”). They’ll keep him safe by trading in his pocket protector for a bulletproof vest. Also starring are Joshua Gomez (”Without a Trace”) as Chuck’s best buddy Morgan and Sarah Lancaster (”What About Brian?”) as Chuck’s ever-supportive sister Ellie. Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak wrote “Chuck,” which is produced by College Hill Pictures and Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television. Filed under: TV and Actors and Actresses and News and TV Comedies and TV Dramas and TV Action and The Office and My Name Is Earl and External Entertainment and External TV and Heroes and Battlestar Galactica Comments: 2 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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**WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD** In the week leading up to the season finale, Sci-Fi was promoting the fact that we’d learn the identities of the final five Cylons. Prior to hearing that, I thought the show would sprinkle in the reveals to add some punch throughout next season, but they did indeed reveal four of the Cylons, and four out of five ain’t bad. So it’s Tigh, Tyrol, Sam (Starbuck’s husband) and Tori (Roslin’s assistant). Considering that Tigh, Sam and Tori were hearing the music during last week’s episode, it’s fairly unsurprising (but powerful) that they are indeed Cylons. I don’t remember Tyrol dealing with the music last week, so his reveal was a bit more surprising, though when he started humming the music this week, it became pretty clear that he was a skinjob as well. Two observations about the music: 1) The music was from a contemporary song, Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” I didn’t recognize it until the second line: There must be some kind of way out of here / said the Joker to the Thief / there’s too much confusion here / I can’t get no relief. My first reaction – WTF? Why are these four singing a Dylan song? I hope that the writers have some sort of explanation prepared for this and that they don’t just forget about it. Could the song be part of the 13th colony’s map to Earth? 2) Initially, the music was unrecognizable because it had a Middle Eastern feel to it. Given the current state of the world, is this supposed to have some sort of hidden meaning? I think we Americans have been taught over the last several years to fear all things from that part of the world, so are the creators playing on this fear, this xenophobia? When the four met in the room, and Tigh asked them to close the doors, I kept waiting for the fifth Cylon to knock. (That would have been a very interesting cliffhanger.) There are theories flying around that Starbuck or Roslin is the fifth. Starbuck supposedly died, but there she is in the nebula, flying a nice-looking Viper. I’ve been to Earth. I know where it is and I’m going to take us there. Big words. So is she a Cylon? Maybe, but it’s not as clear as some fans think it is. If she were a Cylon, it would explain how she “survived” the explosion. But it seems kind of obvious to me. Roslin is another possibility. She reacted after the jump to the nebula, but before the power went out. Coincidence? Doubtful. She definitely has ties to the Cylons (opera house dreams) so that could be why she reacted. Supposedly, she is the dying leader that guides the humans to Earth, but even that’s not for certain. With Tyrol being a Cylon, his baby is a hybrid. They didn’t address it at all in the episode, so I just wanted to throw that out there. Hopefully, that becomes a storyline next season. Also, Tyrol had a great line when his wife asked him where the hell he was. I’ll tell you later. Now that conversation is going to go over like a lead balloon. One other random observation. They made a point of developing a budding relationship between Sam and Seelix (the short-haired brunette) by having them hugging on each other in the bar last week, and it’s no coincidence that it was Seelix who discovered Sam and Tori in the (locked) barracks this week. Expect this to play out somehow next season. Regarding Baltar’s trial, my sister pointed out something that I missed. The segment with Lee’s diatribe about how Baltar was the one we all wanted to blame, to throw out of the airlock, coupled with the doctor’s long hair and beard - that segment had some Christian overtones. Throw in the Cylons’ insistence of One God (while the humans believe in gods – plural – just like the ancient Romans did), and the references grow even stronger. Is Baltar the Messiah? The way his new “followers” whisked him off the ship would indicate that at least a few people believe he is. I have to mention Romo’s hilarious line after Baltar goes on and on about how he knew that he’d be found innocent: Your boundless confidence provided us with great solace throughout the proceedings. Did anyone else notice that Romo let Lee off the hook about Bill’s prejudice of Baltar’s trial? As soon as Lee finished his speech, Romo rested his defense. Also, Romo wore sunglasses for the entire first episode, save for a scene where he had to convince Number Six not to betray Baltar. He didn’t wear them for the entire trial, but then put them back on as he said goodbye to Lee. Plus, his limp was gone. When he’s wearing the shades, he’s himself, but when he’s not wearing them, he’s playing a role. Kudos on the great acting job, Mark A. Sheppard! But back to Starbuck’s reappearance. I think it was fairly obvious that she’d return, though not necessarily in this manner. As Lee was flying through the nebula, did anyone else see a giant ship/structure just before Starbuck’s appearance? Did Starbuck bring help? I liked the zoom out to see the Milky Way, and then the zoom back in to see Earth. Now we know approximately where the fleet is. Starting with the reveal of the four Cylons, I thought the ending to the episode was fantastic. They did a terrific job of incorporating some very cool guitar (with an “All Along the Watchtower” feel) to ramp up the anticipation of the Starbuck reveal. The only downer is that we have to wait until 2008 for some answers. 2008?!? That’s practically a year away! Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and TV Action and External Entertainment and External TV and Battlestar Galactica Comments: 3 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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Finally, some real Cylon contact! It turns out that the Cylons have been tracking the human fleet, but Number 6 supposedly gave Tigh the information he needed to throw the toasters off their scent. But that info came at a price. Number 6 threw Tigh into a guilt-ridden tailspin, which climaxed at the trial when he said he’d do anything to put Dr. Baltar away except, of course, stay sober. Way to be a good witness, Tigh! Thanks a bunch! What was the deal with the music? Didn’t Sam hear it in the bar as well? And what was the deal with the look that the President’s aide (Tori) and Sam shared at the bar? Are Sam and Seelix are becoming an item? My head is spinning. I still don’t get why Lee would want to help Baltar. I understand that Starbuck’s death has made him want to step out from his father’s shadow, but why help Gaius? That scene in the Admiral’s quarters was classic: Lee: Are you calling me a liar? Ouch. It looks like Baltar’s trial and the season are going to wrap up next week. Is it just me or is this season lacking the normal buildup to the finale? All those self-contained domestic episodes in the middle of the season threw me for a loop. Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and TV Action and External TV and Battlestar Galactica Comments: 6 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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When Will had his father’s law books delivered to Lee a few episodes ago, I thought it was foreshadowing Lee’s involvement in the prosecution of Dr. Baltar, not his defense. As its title indicates, this episode was about Lee stepping out of the shadow of his father, even if he taking a step in the wrong direction. What good can possibly be served by helping to defend Baltar? The answer to this question will almost certainly become clear as the storyline wears on. Regardless, it should be interesting to see father and son in the same courtroom as members of the tribunal and the defense, respectively. I just hope they don’t drag the trial out too long; there are enough legal dramas on TV. This week, we met a new character - Romo Lampkin (played by Mark A. Sheppard, who was last seen cutting up young women on “Medium”). Romo likes to wear sunglasses, even when meeting with the President, so I am going to refer to him henceforth as Horatio, as in Horatio Caine of “CSI: Miami.” For those of you wise enough to be unfamiliar with the character, Horatio also wears shades, and just loves to take them off or put them on to punctuate a dramatic point. (For a good laugh, check out this YouTube montage.) Anyway, Horatio is Baltar’s new lawyer and he was trained by Lee’s grandfather. What a coincidence! There was no real news on the fate of Starbuck, but it’s highly doubtful that she’s gone for good. She may hang low until the finale, but we’ll see her soon. I feel for both Sam and Lee, though Lee still has a pretty good woman at home. I don’t think Starbuck could have asked for a better sendoff than having her husband injure his leg by drunkenly falling off of a viper. (Seriously.) Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and TV Action and External TV and Battlestar Galactica Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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A maelstrom is defined as “a large, powerful or violent whirlpool” and also as “a restless, disordered, or tumultuous state of affairs.” Both definitions are appropriate for this intense episode, which gave us a reprieve from the rather mundane day-to-day stories we’ve endured the last few weeks. In many ways, this is Starbuck’s signature episode. Katee Sackhoff’s acting was terrific throughout, from the pressure-packed cockpit scenes to the emotional moments with her dead mother. Jamie Bamber (as Lee) provided great support, especially in the scene in the hanger where the duo talked about the state of their relationship(s). And, once again, Edward James Olmos’ considerable acting chops were on display as he mourned his surrogate daughter’s death. But back to the story: Leoben said something interesting when he first brought her back to see her mother - “All of this has happened before and will happen again.” This destiny-filled, cyclical thinking has been mentioned before (by Roslin) and it will be interesting to see how it is used as the series progresses. So is Starbuck really dead? I doubt it. She had her hand on the eject handle, so she could have launched herself into the atmosphere. Or maybe she’s a Cylon and she’s going to wake up, reborn, on a resurrection ship. Whatever happens, she did commit suicide, which falls in line with her mother’s opinion of her…that she’s a quitter. Destiny is a bitch, isn’t it? Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and TV Action and External TV and Battlestar Galactica Comments: 4 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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