Author: John Paulsen (Page 52 of 79)

Rome: “Death Mask”

March 5, 2007 /

One of the very first scenes this week set the tone for the entire episode. During Jocasta’s wedding, while Antony winks at a not-that-attractive slave girl, Atia mentions to him that she’d like to get married. The point? Men and women are rarely on the same page.

Even though she’s an insufferable bitch, I actually felt sorry for Atia this week. First, Servilia lays the mother of all curses on her before committing suicide in front of her house. The real Servilia died of natural causes, but like Antony said, the fictional Servilia knows how to make an exit. Then Octavian arranges for his sister, not Atia, to marry Antony as a show of goodwill to the people of Rome. This, of course, does not sit well with Atia or Octavia. While in bed with his new wife, Antony had a great line that pretty much sums up the situation – “This is strange, isn’t it?”

Even with the marriage, it’s clear that the conflict between Octavian and Antony isn’t resolved.

Meanwhile, Eirene’s run in with Gaia led to a great scene between Titus and the slave girl. It seems that the temptress Gaia is looking to climb the social ladder, and she isn’t afraid to use all of her……um……assets to that end. When she laid the “she’s such a mouse of a woman and you’re such a lion of a man” line on Titus, I knew the big fella was going down. If nothing else, a man has needs and it certainly didn’t help that Eirene decided to withhold sex because the baby started moving. Just like Titus, I almost spit up my drink when Eirene said that he should beat Gaia the same way once a month to keep her in line.

The Timon/Levi storyline ended unceremoniously when Timon stabbed his brother to keep him from trying to assassinate Herod. Other than Timon’s decision to release Servilia, this storyline hasn’t had much of an impact on the show. It will be interesting to see how much of Timon we’ll see now that this thread with his brother has come to a conclusion.

The episode ended with Gaia buying a concoction that presumably causes a miscarriage. Obviously, she intends to use this on Eirene. But what’s her end game? Does she truly want Titus, or does she just want to screw up Eirene’s life?

And how will Vorena’s actions affect Lucius? What will he do when he discovers his daughter’s betrayal?

External TV, Rome, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas

Things looking grim for “Studio 60”

March 2, 2007 /

The writing was on the wall.

Viewers might have seen the last episode of “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” Aaron Sorkin’s much-anticipated, then much-derided drama for NBC. The series, about the behind-the-scenes machinations of a television sketch show not unlike “Saturday Night Live,” is being pulled a week earlier than expected after its season-worst ratings performance. It’s unlikely to be renewed for a second season.

And if “Studio 60” comes back to finish its six remaining episodes, it will have everything to do with the respect accorded Sorkin and nothing to do with a last-ditch effort to save it.

The Courier Press goes on to give reasons why the show failed:

The premise wasn’t so much flawed as doomed. It turns out that most Americans didn’t care at all about the career woes and personal crises of pampered Hollywood writers.

It’s hard to argue this point. It’s impossible to know how America wants to spend its time when “Dancing with the Stars” and “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” are huge hits. It’s just unfortunate that a show about “the career woes and personal crises of pampered Hollywood writers” can’t find its niche and survive for more than a season. Of course, there was really only one writer who had a big part on the show – Matt Albie (played by Matthew Perry).

It was a drama about a comedy show, but the skits weren’t funny. In fact, much of the show was decidedly unfunny.

This I don’t buy. As far as the skits go, there weren’t very many of them, but Sarah Paulson’s impersonation of Juliette Lewis and The Nic Cage Show were both pretty good. If the folks on SNL can’t come up with consistently funny material, I don’t know why we have such high expectations for Sorkin. I thought the rest of the show was decidedly funny. Especially the relationships between the four main characters – Albie, Harriet Hayes (Paulson), Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford) and Jordan McDeere (Amanda Peet).

The cast was a bad fit. Aside from Matthew Perry (who was a wonderful surprise) and Timothy Busfield (who was underused), not much else worked.

Paulson and Peet were both terrific, and Whitford fit the Lorne Michaels-mold well. I also thought Steven Weber was hilarious as network president Jack Rudolph, and I wasn’t a fan of “Wings.”

The article goes on to point out all the perceived problems with the show. In the end, it’s hard to argue that America hasn’t grown tired of Sorkin’s writing and creative style. “The West Wing” was still going strong creatively, but saw a dip in ratings over the last few seasons. Even the writer’s fans weren’t sticking with “Studio 60” throughout the season.

But that makes me wonder – when there’s a deathwatch attitude surrounding a show from the get go, are there a certain of number of viewers who bail early because they don’t want to become invested in the show only to have it cancelled? Would the show have done better in the ratings if viewers could watch it in a vacuum?

Of course, this is just a paper in Evansville writing about the demise of the show. It hasn’t officially been cancelled. Maybe there’s still hope.

External TV, TV, TV Comedies, TV Dramas

“The Black Donnellys” is worth a look

March 1, 2007 /

Tonight, NBC is showing an encore presentation of the pilot for “The Black Donnellys.” Here’s how the network describes the crime drama:

Meet the Donnelly brothers: Tommy, Jimmy, Kevin and Sean. There is nothing these four Irish brothers wouldn’t do to protect each other, and for them that means lying, cheating, stealing and, occasionally, calling the cops. Narrated by wannabe gangster Joey “Ice Cream,” this gritty series bears witness to the Donnelly brothers’ sudden involvement in organized crime, focusing on how they go from boys to mobsters, and showing how their new life affects their relationships with friends, family and lovers.

Paul Haggis, who wrote “Crash,” “Casino Royale” and “Flags of Our Fathers,” and Bobby Moresco, who produced “Crash” and “Million Dollar Baby,” serve as the show’s executive producers. Haggis also directed the first three episodes.

The pilot is strong. With four brothers around the same age, it was a bit tough at the start figuring out who is who. But by the midpoint of the episode, everything falls into place.

The show is about organized crime, so it’s darker than your normal network fare. It might eventually carry the torch once “The Sopranos” is done for good. Like it’s predecessor, “The Black Donnellys” has a sense of humor. And with Haggis and Moresco on board, the show has a chance.

External TV, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas

Prison Break: “Wash”

February 27, 2007 /

Really? We’re going to have this huge buildup to the Magical Tape that can make everything right in the world, but we don’t even get to hear what’s on it? I spent the rest of the hour recovering from the letdown.

This episode did move pretty well, and touched on all of the storylines. Of course, the whole Cooper Green switcheroo was pretty silly. I can’t find the actor’s name, but the guy who played the fake Green always plays a bad guy, so my spidey sense was tingling from the get go. Moreover, the “my inhaler is in my jacket” and the “my cell phone is running out of juice” bits were also pretty lame, but at least the boys hooked up with the real Cooper before the episode’s end, which sent the series off in another direction. On a side note, Mahone once again displayed some superior policing skills when he figured out how all the sight lines in the park led to the hotel. I wouldn’t want that dude chasing me – no way, no how.

Was anyone surprised to see a rope when C-Note opened up the package? I guess the background music was meant to reflect his personal shock, but the only thing surprising about the rope was that it was already tied into a noose. On that note – no pun intended – we didn’t exactly see C-Note die. He just stepped off the bed when the episode ended; so don’t count him out just yet.

T-Bag seems to be finally getting down to the business of being a multi-millionaire, and his haste to get out of Alabama (to Bangkok) somehow has him on a flight to Mexico. Wait a second, it’s the same flight as Bellick? I’m confused. Quick, honey, press the button. No, the one that says, “Suspend Disbelief.” Ah, yes, that’s much better, thanks. Moving on…

Am I crazy or was T-Bag intending to take three million dollars in cash through security? The bundles of hundreds are literally spilling out of the bag, but this deviously intelligent individual plans to take it through airport security! Honey! Honey! Yeah, I need you to press it again! No, I really can’t reach it!

Thanks, babe.

What were we talking about?

External TV, Prison Break, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas

Battlestar Galactica: “Dirty Hands”

February 26, 2007 /

Between last week’s plunge into space and this week’s labor episode, the Chief is getting a ton of face time. He feels compelled to fight for the little guy and he definitely had a “Norma Rae” moment when he shut down the line. At the time, I was a little confused as to why he decided to go on strike. He had already convinced the powers that be that there should be a lottery to rotate workers in, and one of those new workers was just seriously injured. That’s not exactly the most solid ground to stand on. “You implemented one of my ideas and it backfired. Want to hear some more?”

Speaking of the injury – that scene with Danny under the belt was cringe inducing. It was so obvious he was going to get hurt.

Meanwhile, Baltar is writing his memoir in his cell. The fact that he’s supposed to be from one of the “worker” colonies really came out of left field. Have we seen anything in his character that would reflect a tough, hard-nosed upbringing? Just the opposite – he’s been a sniveling, whiny brat. Even though I enjoyed James Callis’ acting as he went from one dialect to another, proving his heritage, I can’t help but think that the revelation is totally whack.

Lastly, we met a guy named Figurski this week. After three seasons of sci-fi sounding names (Adama, Tyrol, Thrace, Baltar, Agathon, Dualla, etc.), suddenly there’s a Polish guy on Galactica?

This was the third episode in a row where the main storyline wasn’t even touched on. So far, I’m not that impressed with the 2007 content. There are only four episodes left this season, so they better get a move on.

Battlestar Galactica, External TV, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas

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