Author: John Paulsen (Page 53 of 79)

The Office: “Cocktails”

February 23, 2007 / John Paulsen

Anytime “The Office” adds alcohol to the situation, there are always some fireworks. Roy…um…overreacted to the news that Pam and Jim kissed while she was still engaged, but the best part was how Roy’s brother, without even knowing what’s going on between Roy and Pam, picks up a stool and tosses it over the bar because he was pissed off about taking “a bath on some jet skis.” That is just so hilariously messed up.

One thing’s for sure – Roy has it out for Jim.

Meanwhile, things seem to be going pretty well between Jim and Karen. For a second there, it seemed like she might be the company tramp, but it turned out she was just screwing with him, which just makes her all the more attractive. The writers have done a nice job of making Karen a lot like Pam, only a little bit hotter.

I’ll admit, I was wrong with my prediction that Karen and Jim would split once Roy and Pam were back together. It seems like that relationship is done for good. So does the “new Pam” tell Jim how she really feels? It seems like we’re headed in that direction, and considering we’re already 18 episodes into the season, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if that’s the season 3 cliffhanger.

Jan’s rant outside the cocktail party was pretty funny: “What’s the downside? I date Michael Scott publicly and collapse into myself like a dying star. Why is this so hard? That’s what she said. Oh my God, what am I saying?”

Jan is pretty messed up. I just don’t see things working out the way Michael hopes they will, with “the picket fence, ketchup fights, tickling and giggling.” Ketchup fights?

Dwight didn’t have many good lines tonight, but I did like his first comment when he was in the kid’s rocking chair: “Good, you’re up.”

External TV, The Office, TV, TV Comedies

Prison Break: “Bad Blood”

February 20, 2007 / John Paulsen

I’ll start with an excerpt from last week’s blog…

“…the ‘sick kid who needs her medicine’ storyline is going to get really old really quickly.”

Did anyone else cheer when C-Note finally turned himself in? I was still trying to figure out why that sketchy doctor was going to put a catheter in the kid’s neck when they could have done that at “the dialysis clinic a few blocks away.” C-Note did the right thing and got her out of there. As he was sitting in the alley, I was thinking about how much he’s f’ed up his family’s life. His wife is in prison and his kid is about to die – it was definitely time to hang ‘em up. Now he’s promised Mahone that he’ll deliver Scofield, a storyline that has some potential. (Finally!)

Another excerpt…

“Meanwhile, T-Bag must be losing his mind, because he’s a millionaire yet he continues to try to force three people to love him. It ain’t going to happen, dude.”

Hooray! Another bad storyline has run its course! We got a glimpse into T-Bag’s past – no surprise there, his daddy was a molester, too – and after yet another switcheroo (cops opening up the cellar), it turns out that Teddy isn’t such a bad guy after all. Presumably, he’s still got the millions, so his thread has some potential as well.

Things are looking up.

It was great to see Pope again, even if it was for just one episode. After he retrieved the memory chip, Sarah exacted some revenge on Agent Eisen by locking him out of the car. (By the way, I love those old Jeep Wagoneers with the wood trim.) It was also nice to see Michael run over Mr. Kim, though it would have been nice if he had run over him a few more times. On a side note, Mr. Kim got to Chicago REALLY fast.

Sometimes television shows get caught up in trying to develop enough storyline for another season instead of just making the current season as good as possible and ending the series there. “Prison Break” has that feeling this year – they should just pull out all the stops to wrap it up well, but they’ll probably end up shoehorning in some contrived situations to try to transition into a third season.

Anyway, it looks like next week we’ll finally get to hear the evidence that will exonerate Lincoln. There were also a few shots of Agent Eisen running around with a sniper’s rifle.

This should be interesting.

External TV, Prison Break, TV Action, TV Dramas

Battlestar Galactica: “A Day in the Life”

February 20, 2007 / John Paulsen

BG has downshifted a bit, delving into the personal lives of some of the crew. Like last week’s episode, I’d classify “A Day in the Life” as filler, but it was much more entertaining thanks to the considerable acting chops of Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell. It’s clear that the two have feelings for one another, but it’s unclear exactly what they’re going to do about it. The Admiral’s line – “we have certain responsibilities” – would seem to shut down a possible relationship, but the President was more optimistic. This romance will probably develop very slowly, only to truly get off the ground once the series ends for good.

The situation that Callie and the Chief got themselves into was much more interesting than Helo’s crisis last week. That “we’ve-got-to-blow-the-airlock-to-save-your-lives” plan was a classic BG moment. It was definitely intense seeing two new parents flying haphazardly through space. But it looks like this near death experience will bring the two of them closer together, which is a good thing. I’ve always liked Callie, and she’s good for the Chief.

Lastly, I wish the show would do away with these bonus scenes at the end of the episode. Tonight’s scene was a perfect example. The show came to a dramatic conclusion with the Admiral saying goodbye to his ex-wife, then we’re treated to a disjointed, superfluous scene with Dee and Gaeta. There’s a reason the scene was cut. Save that stuff for the DVD, please.

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

Rome: “Philipi”

February 19, 2007 / John Paulsen

Once Octavian rose to power, it was only a matter of time before Lucius and Titus became directly involved in his organization. Octavian put what might be the first ever hit list together (1,000 strong!) in order to quell support for Brutus and Cassius. Interestingly, the writers’ decision to use Titus in the role of Cicero’s killer isn’t based on any historical fact. The assassination itself was quite brutal, which is a perfect example of how unusual this series is. Titus and Lucius do nasty deeds time and time again, but they’re somehow still completely likable. While most of TV deals with heroes against villains, “Rome” uses anti-heroes, and with great success.

Even though Titus was used for such an important task, he wishes he were a soldier again. Eirene’s announcement that she was “preglant, or whatever you call it” was both comical and sad as the girl burst into tears. Titus seemed happy about the news, so it will be interesting to see if he sticks around for the child’s birth. Complicating matters, the temptress Gaia also has her eye on him, and it seems like she’s bound and determined to land a man in power, damn the consequences.

Agrippa’s scene with Octavia was the lone bright spot in an episode of murder and mayhem. It looks like this relationship is headed for disaster, however, as Atia has made it clear that the two will not be married. Her daughter has already proclaimed her love for the young man, so it’s bound to get pretty ugly.

We were treated to a gorgeous shot as the two armies clashed in the Battle of Philipi. In the real world, there were actually two battles, but for creative purposes, it was condensed to one. Also, in real life, Brutus fled the battlefield and committed suicide. But I’ll admit that his one-man attack made for pretty good television, especially since he died of multiple stab wounds, just like Caesar.

The best line of the episode goes to Mark Antony, during the battle…

Octavian: “What is happening? Do you know?”
Mark Antony: “No idea. When in doubt, attack!”

External TV, Rome, TV Action, TV Dramas

HBO's Rome Kevin McKidd Kevin McKidd Rome Lucius Vorenus Ray Stevenson Ray Stevenson Rome Rome blog Rome final season Rome last season Titus Pullo

The Office: “Business School”

February 16, 2007 / John Paulsen

O Michael, when will you learn? This was another “Michael-makes-an-ass-of-himself-in-front-of-a-group-of-strangers” episode, and while it wasn’t quite as cringe worthy as his unwanted marriage proposal a few weeks ago, there were some brutally great moments. From the music playing as he entered (which went into someone else’s speech) to inappropriately ripping the pages from Napoleon Dynamite’s textbook to whipping candy around the room, Michael certainly ran the gamut of presentation no-no’s. When one of the students revealed that Ryan calculated that Dunder-Mifflin would be defunct in 5-10 years, Michael lost it, and I’m not sure it’s because he felt betrayed by Ryan or thinks that he may be right. Who knows, maybe it’s a combination of the two.

Back at the office, Jim was seriously messing with Dwight when he claimed that the bat bit him. Jim touched on all the vampire lore – the blinding crucifix, the “white hot” garlic, the vampire fangs – but the best moments happened at the end. First, he quietly stands behind Dwight, then flips his collar and looks over his shoulder as he leaves. Outside, knowing that Dwight is probably watching him, he drapes his jacket over his head to block out the sun as he walks to his car. That’s some terrific stuff.

Pam had her first art show and she was pretty disappointed with the turnout. Roy did come to the show with his brother, but totally put his foot in his mouth when he said, “I show up with my brother and no one from work is here. Pretty cool, eh?” It seems like Pam is starting to realize that Roy hasn’t changed all that much. Later, she overheard Oscar and his boyfriend talk about her work, and Oscar said that “[courage] isn’t one of her strong points.” That was when her night really went south. But then Michael arrived, and said all the right things. (For once.)

It looks like much of next week’s episode takes place at cocktail hour, so we could be in for some fireworks.