Category: TV Action (Page 121 of 145)

Battlestar Galactica: “A Day in the Life”

February 20, 2007 /

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 /

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

Battlestar Galactica: “The Woman King”

February 13, 2007 /

This series doesn’t have a lot of them, but this was a classic filler episode. It revolved around Helo, a supporting character, and didn’t advance any of the main storylines at all. Athena was only there as a sounding board for her husband and Tigh, Adama and Dr. Cottle served basically the same purpose. I thought it was a little out of character for Adama to come down so hard on Helo, but his apology at the end of the episode was rather poignant, a credit to Edward James Olmos’ acting skills.

We did get a short scene between Athena and Number Six, and it’s interesting to see – in times of trouble – that Baltar appears to her just as she appears to him. The two are certainly intertwined, but we didn’t learn anything about why they are so connected. The fact that she also has visions indicates that Baltar may not be crazy, which is what we were led to believe for most of the first three seasons.

In the brief scene in the bar, Lee and Dee’s kiss garnered a jealous look from Starbuck, which probably means that storyline is far from over. We also met two new (?) characters, Marge and Connor, who provided absolutely nothing to the episode’s storyline.

Other than that, there was a virus spreading amongst the civilians (zzzzz) and it turned out that Doctor Robert (not from the Beatles song) was killing all the Saggitarions.

Of all the episodes this season, this was the most useless. Let’s hope the show gets back on track next week.

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

24, Hour 8: I love you…I’ll kill you

February 13, 2007 /

Previously, on the “24” blog:

In truth, Daddy Bauer’s plan is quite ingenious, if dastardly. He has lowered the guard of his do-gooder son, silenced the only person who could sell him out, and set up his son’s death so that Dr. Romano’s wife and “child” will hold Jack responsible, since the cause of death will surely be a fatal seizure due to excessive torture. Jack will feel as though he has betrayed his family, which will make him even more vulnerable to Daddy’s evil machinations.

Boom shacka lacka lacka lacka. Boom shacka lacka lacka lacka. Boom.

Okay, so Heidi Petrelli’s reaction was not as indignant as I was expecting, but then again, Grae’s son (who, from this point on, will be known as Jack Jack) didn’t even cry. His father’s dead! What teenager isn’t going to be crushed by news like that, even if you suspected he was a bad guy?

The show actually got back to its roots in the first hour with a little “Hostel”-style torture. Eurotrash Arms Dealer was the victim of some big time passive-aggressive behavior on the part of his companion, who popped him once she knew where she would be dropping off Morris. If I didn’t know any better, I would swear that for a split second, her eyes actually had dollar signs in them. I deleted the episode out of my DVR before I could confirm it. The second she walks in with Morris, however, she realizes the mistake of trying to bluff a bunch of Islamic fucking terrorists. If Kevin Spacey had been in this episode, he would have cut a pound of flesh from her body, just to underscore what deadly sin ultimately did her in.

So back to the torture: Morris, who’s not trained in the torture-withstanding arts, runs afoul of some of Fayed’s free swingers, as it were, and then gets drilled, literally. Jack gives him hell for caving in, but isn’t that just Jack shifting the blame? If his guys were better at their job, Fayed wouldn’t keep getting away, damn it. Back at CTU, Chloe proves to be no more sympathetic than Jack, slapping Morris when he refuses to get back to work mere minutes after getting tortured with a drill. Coworkers suck.

As for the rest of the episode, one absolutely fantastic thing happened, and one utterly ridiculous thing happened. On the fantastic end, the former Mr. Hilary Swank appears to be involved in a plot to kill President Palmer, and recruits the Biscuit to assist him in helping Senator Roark and his “kill ‘em all” policy to ascend to the throne. Now, I don’t want to see yet another President Palmer assassinated, but give credit where credit is due: this is the ballsiest plot thread that the writers of “24” have floated out there yet. The Biscuit, of course, is toast, pardon the repeated bread product references. Whoever’s orchestrating this – possibly Daddy Bauer’s company? – is smart enough to cover their own tracks and set up the most obvious person for the fall. That person is the Biscuit. The second he gives up Palmer’s itinerary, he’s done for. He’s going to wish he had brought a tape recorder with him when Mr. Swank sells him down the river.

And now for something completely different, which is to say, insane: CTU allowing Daddy Dearest (hey, I think we just found his nickname) to take Jack Jack out of custody so he is in a better position to coerce Heidi Petrelli into setting Jack up to be ambushed. And with that, let’s play “Really!?!,” with Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers. (For the uninitiated, go here right this second.) Really, CTU is going to allow Daddy Dearest to take Jack Jack back to the home that is not far from where a nuclear weapon detonated. Really. The man owns a company that was responsible for the decommission of the nukes that are currently in play, but you’re not going to keep him in custody. Really. And lastly, that company is run by a man who confessed in front of several other CTU agents that he authorized the assassination of President David Palmer, and that he has tried repeatedly to have Jack killed. And you’re not going to interrogate him? Really?! You don’t think he might have some valuable information? Really!?! Ye gods.

Killing President Palmer, again: bad karma, but good, good TV. CTU’s blind eye to Daddy Dearest and his sinister company: just bad. Man, how messed up is it that we’re actually rooting for the president to get whacked just so we get some good television?

24, TV, TV Action

Heroes, Week 15: Finally, a hero in Virginia Beach!

February 12, 2007 /

And wearing a fucking Ramones shirt, no less! Yeah, baby…!!!

So things started with that incredibly awkward phone call from Claire’s birth mom to Nathan, a.k.a. Claire’s birth dad; it was surprising to discover that Mommy Dearest was actually calling to bilk some money out of Nathan, but she’s clearly not a professional at it, given her reaction to Nathan’s first cash offer. As the episode progressed, Mommy got shadier and shadier, making it harder to believe that she really felt anything for Claire…which, frankly, was more than a little depressing.

After that, I should’ve known from the quick cuts between Matt and Nikica (that’s my new amalgam nickname for Niki / Jessica) that they were in the process of setting up a meeting between the bunch of them, but, in truth, I didn’t realize it until I saw who Matt was picking up at the airport. I liked the shot of Niki’s reflection in the flower vase toward the beginning of the episode, but is it just me, or did Matt’s wife suddenly jump to, like, the 8th month of her pregnancy…? She looked reeeeeeeeeeeeally heavy lying in bed. But I digress. The sequence with Nikica and Matt bobbing and weaving through the hallways and stairwell was very well filmed, though her escape from the handcuffs is a little inexplicable. I guess we’re supposed to presume that she just ripped them off. Anyway, long story short, I’m guessing Matt won’t be getting much more personal security work…not that he’ll need to, given that he pocketed the bag on the way out.

I’m still not sure if Claire’s adopted dad…oh, hell, I’ll call him HRG Dude like everyone else does…if HRG Dude knows that she’s still got her memories, but it doesn’t seem like it. Clearly, however, I was on the money with my theory about Claire’s adopted mother’s synapses unraveling from Brother Voodoo’s repeated mindwiping.

Ando finds a princess who needs saving…named Hope. The whole segment started out like a bad Scooby-Doo episode, with Ando dressing up as a waiter to sneak into a hotel room, then devolved into a farce, with him hiding under the bed when the resident of the room came out of the shower. No real shock that Hope turned out to be pulling a fast one. “Thanks for the help, Sulu.” An easy joke, but a funny one nonetheless. It was, however, pretty ridiculous that Ando was so quickly turned by an ostensibly pretty face…although Hiro’s Vulcan salute and last line were great.

Mohinder’s having some trouble keeping folks on the line when he calls them, but when he got that message from the guy who wanted help…well, I’m sure he was grasping at straws, but most viewers surely knew it was a trap. And, yet, it wasn’t…although the poor bastard still ended up getting a visit from Sylar before Mohinder arrived. How fucking creepy was it that, when Sylar opened the door to greet Mohinder, he was wearing the Ramones shirt? Like taking dude’s brain wasn’t enough, he’s gotta take his shirt, too…? DAMN! I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who got a chill when Sylar showed off his new power. I can’t blame Mohinder for falling for Sylar’s rap, but it’s still damned depressing to watch…

External Entertainment, External TV, Heroes, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas

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