Author: John Paulsen (Page 44 of 79)

Quicktake review: “Dirty Sexy Money”

I caught the pilot of “Dirty Sexy Money” and I really enjoyed it. Peter Krause (“Six Feet Under”) has an intrinsic watchability about him and he’s proven he can be the centerpiece for a compelling series. He plays Nick George, a lawyer who unwillingly replaces his deceased father as the legal counsel for the super-rich Darling family in New York City. Nick grew up with the family, so he has history with each and every member of the family. The show is quite funny, but there is an underlying darkness to it (which is readily apparent by the end of the pilot) that gives it a certain depth. With so much history and so many secrets, the writers have a lot to work with, so I think the show has loads of potential.

For those that missed the pilot, ABC.com is streaming at their website.

The Office: “Fun Run”

Well, the big cliffhanger at the end of last season was Pam and Jim finally going on their first date, and although they tried to hide it for a while, they are in fact a very happy couple. The scene where the mockumentors showed them the footage of their kiss was a pretty funny way for them to tell the world.

(I do find it strange that Karen left without a whisper. It didn’t seem like a fitting way for such a good character to leave the show.)

Anyway, as is oftentimes the case when unrequited television love is finally requited, the worry is that the show will lose it’s umph. There is certainly a noticeable lack of romantic tension, but I think viewers will be in a honeymoon haze for a while before it’s missed. The show has enough humor and such a great ensemble cast that the writers still have a lot to work with.

In fact, a little of that romantic tension has been taken on by Dwight and Angela, who are going through some serious issues because he decided to euthanize her sickly cat, Sprinkles. This promises to be the “will they/won’t they” relationship, at least in the short term.

This hour-long episode also dealt with Michael’s guilt over hitting Meredith with his car and the resulting Rabies Awareness Fun Run. Sorry, but I didn’t feel like writing down the entire name of the race. I did, however, jot down several of my favorite moments of the episode:

Michael: “I took her to the hospital. And the doctors tried to save her life. They did the best that they could…and she is going to be OK.”
Stanley: “What is wrong with you? Why did you have to phrase it like that?

Dwight’s face when Angela was giving him instructions for how to take care of Sprinkles, including the application of fungal cream at the “base of her tail.”

Stanley: “You can’t be serious. You ran a woman over this morning.”
Michael: “Everyone inside the car was fine, Stanley!”

Kevin clapping (all by himself) for the nurse who reattached the IV in Meredith’s arm after Michael’s balloons unhooked it.

Kevin trying to hit Meredith’s fist when the gang said goodbye.

Angela: (crying because her cat died) “I thought she had more time.”
Dwight: “Nope.”
Angela: “Did she…when you saw her, how was she looking?”
Dwight: “Really dead. Like a dead cat. So…”

Dwight: “Cats do not provide milk. Or wool or meat.”

Micheal: “Is there a God? If not, what are all these churches for?”

Michael’s speech about “oldentimes.”

Dwight: “Wait, this money is going for bat birth control, right? That’s what you told me when I contributed.”

Pam: “’5K’ is for five kilometers, not five thousand miles.”

Darrell feeding a squirrel a peanut.

Angela: “Cat heaven is a beautiful place, but you don’t get there if you’re euthanized.”
Dwight: “I know a great taxidermist. I’ll pay to have her stuffed. Well, he’s not great, but he’s pretty good.”

What did you think of the premiere? Now that Jim and Pam are a couple, is it going to hold up?

One suggestion to the writers – we need to see more of Ryan.

Prison Break: “Fire/Water”

Y’know, I just realized that Michael Scofield is a modern-day MacGyver. He’s not as quite as over the top as his predecessor, turning a rubber band, a matchstick and a basketball into a pogo stick, but it seems like every other week he’s putting together some kind of concoction to improve his lot in life. When he asked the kid about the water situation, I figured it was going to come into play, either in this episode or in the future. I’m still a little fuzzy on how sending an alcohol bomb into the pipes is going to turn the water back on, but I guess there was some sort of blockage that had to be cleared.

Anyway, the water is running again, so kingpin Luchero shows his gratitude by calling off the bounty on Whistler’s head. According to “Susan,” Michael still has just a week to become the first person to break out of Sona. No more.

The whole Sucre/Maricruz/Bellick storyline was wrapped up a little too neatly and quickly for my taste, but it got Sucre to Panama and back in the fold. I’m not sure how he’ll figure into Michael’s escape, but I’m sure Linc will get him involved somehow.

Speaking of Linc, he pulled the ol’ (now infamous) “Prison Break” switcheroo – the first one this season – with the little bird watching guide. That took some serious foresight, which is not something Linc is known for. Maybe Michael is rubbing off on him. (On a side note, it really seems like Linc and Susan have some serious sexual tension, doesn’t it?)

It looks like this season, or at least the first part, will be about Michael and Whistler, and their goal to break out of Sona. Mahone, T-Bag and Bellick will do whatever they can to put Michael into a position to take them with him. Mahone and Bellick will probably help him along the way, but T-Bag is the wildcard. He has a knack for self-preservation, so I doubt he’d shoot himself in the foot if he thought he could tag along on Michael’s escape, but there is a load of contempt between the two men and it would take a lot to get them to come together again.

Quickhit review: “Gossip Girl”

Man, Kristen Bell’s voiceovers sure are comforting. The creators of “Gossip Girl” were smart to enlist Bell to be our unseen guide through the happenings of the teenage elite in Manhattan. Her blog is the proverbial finger on the pulse of all the social happenings at a ritzy prep school in the Upper East Side. Think “Cruel Intentions” for the CW set.

Bell’s aural presence draws fans of “Veronica Mars” in, but “Gossip Girl” is lacking her old show’s depth. Granted, it’s just the pilot, but the character of bad boy Chuck is written thin, an amalgamation of every soulless rich boy we’ve ever seen on TV or in film. Even at their worst, Logan Echolls and Dick Casablancas were funny, witty and somewhat charming. Chuck is none of that.

In “Gossip Girl,” too-familiar triangle of personas exists within each gender. There are the evil and shallow (Chuck and Blair), those floundering in the middle (Serena and Nate), and those goodhearted souls that are simply struggling to fit in (Dan and Jenny). There were a few good lines in the pilot, and by the time the credits roll there are heroes and relationships you can root for, but it lacks the intrinsic charm of “Veronica Mars.” Maybe it’s not fair to compare the two, but when the same network cancels one and develops another, using the star of the former as its invisible poster girl, the comparisons are inevitable – especially to a still-bitter “Mars” devotee, like myself.

I’ll tune in for another week or two, but I don’t get the feeling that I’ll still be watching “Gossip Girl” in a month.

What did you think?

For another (more extensive) take, be sure to check out Will Harris’ review. If you missed the premiere, the CW is airing it again in most cities this Sunday.

The Sports Guy needs your help

ESPN’s Bill Simmons loves NBC’s “Friday Night Lights.” So do I. Do us both a solid and check out at least the first four episodes of Season 1, which is available now on DVD at your local video store and online at NBC.com. It may take you a while to work through the season, so just be sure to TiVo the first few episodes of Season 2 (which starts Oct. 5) so you can get all caught up.

Like many, Simmons watched the first episode and wasn’t impressed:

I watched the pilot when it originally aired, but I didn’t love it: too much puke-cam (the camera stopped moving so much in later episodes) and an unspeakable sports inconsistency (Dillon High completes a game-winning Hail Mary that could have happened only on a 140-yard field). Once the abysmal ratings were announced, I assumed the show was doomed and opted not to waste my time with Episode 2.

Then, his buddy sent him an early release Season 1 DVD set from Japan:

As he predicted, the Sports Gal and I ripped through all 22 episodes in a week, learning the Japanese words for “play,” “stop” and “pause” in the process. Quite simply, FNL is the best date show ever, an improbable cross between The O.C. and every sports show you ever wanted Hollywood to make. It’s the first show my wife and I have loved equally, but for different reasons. What can be better than that?

If you do give it a shot, let me recommend the impeccable acting, the lively football scenes (although they tend to go overboard on exciting finishes), the risky story lines and especially Coach Taylor’s family, the most authentic household in recent TV history. Every nuance is nailed, every hug seems genuine, every fight makes sense, every sarcastic barb and flustered reaction ring true. If there are better TV actors than Kyle Chandler (Coach) and Connie Britton (Mrs. Coach), I haven’t TiVoed them. Pay particular attention to the astonishing two-parter in which an older assistant sets off a racial powder keg before a big playoff game. If FNL were Michael Jordan, Lyla Garrity’s slam-page episode would be the 63-point game in Boston (the coming-out party), and the two-parter would be the 1991 Finals (the moment considerable potential is realized).

Look, I’m the biggest White Shadow fan on the planet … and even I concede that FNL is the greatest sports show ever. Shadow died prematurely because the story line called for it to graduate too many key characters at once. I can live with that. FNL is going to die prematurely because five times as many Americans would rather watch an acerbic British guy belittle dreadful singers on a reality show. I can’t live with that.

So please, please help me and every other FNL fanatic. Watch the show. Spread the gospel.

Amen, brother.

Are there any other FNL fans out there?

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