Category: TV Action (Page 79 of 145)

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles 2.3 – Running to stand still

September 22, 2008 /

Um, this is classified as an action show, right?

For the second straight week, an hour passed in which the overall story arc – assuming there is one – was pushed forward a few inches, tops. Catherine Weaver reaches out to Agent Ellison in the hopes of seducing him into working for the dark side. That’s pretty much all that happened in the grand scheme of things. The rest of the hour was taken up by an attempt by Cromartie to lure Sarah and Derek out into Nowheresville while he attempts to take out John back in the city. Oh, and John once again put his life in jeopardy, this time to hang out with Riley. We understand that it must be hard for a teenager to be so deathly serious all the time, but damn, man, you’re the last hope of mankind. Cowboy up, punk.

Any way you can get me out of this show? Can't just just have me killed or something?

Back to this whole story arc thing – do the producers even have a plan? They have to, right? Otherwise, they don’t get the green light to go on…right? Still, after watching tonight’s awesome season premiere of “Heroes,” and sifting through the dozens of story lines they unveiled, this show, by comparison, is moving like the turtle that Matt Parkman thought was talking to him in the desert. Are budgetary issues preventing them from a) adding new cast members to expand the story, or b) throwing in some splashy action sequences? Heck, this week’s episode didn’t even include a flash-forward to some post-apocalyptic wasteland. Instead it was all dark, crowded warehouses and the Santa Monica pier. Wheeee.

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External TV, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, TV Action

Heroes 3.1 / 3.2 – The Old One-Two Punch

September 22, 2008 /

“Heroes” is back, baby…and to celebrate, NBC gave us a one-hour recap special, followed by two brand-new, full-length episodes. Rather than waste time, let’s get to talking ’bout what happened, shall we?

Episode 3.1

After a close encounter with his niece which proves that Claire is still about as dumb in the future as she is in the present, FuturePeter jumps back to the day Nathan was originally going to reveal his powers to the world at large and attempts to change history with a couple of quick gunshots. I’ve already read a few bloggers who’re asking, “Why did he only go back to a few minutes before Nathan made his revelation? Why didn’t he go farther back and, y’know, catch Nathan in a less public place?” And, really, there’s only one answer to that question: because if he’d done that, then there wouldn’t have been much of a story. And, thus, FuturePeter pops a couple of caps in his brother…and successfully, no less. Yeah, we knew the bullets connected, but who would’ve thought that he’d really die? Not that it’s a permanent situation, but, still…

It was so nice to see Hiro getting back to being the same loveably funny and hopelessly heroic guy that we saw in the first season. The guy just loves to be a hero, and he can’t resist that instinct, no matter how many times Ando may plead with him to do otherwise. It was great when Hiro decided to open the safe despite his father’s posthumous order, only to meet with a second message from him. (“I asked you not to open the safe!”) So who has the purity of blood…? I loved the special effects used to designate the motion of the new speedster hero – c’mon, Hollywood, let’s get that “Flash” flick fast-tracked now, shall we? – as well as the way she cold-cocked him. (“But I am on my feet.” BAM!)

Sylar’s dialogue when he paid a call on Claire was deliciously villainous and comic-book-y, though I could’ve done without his awful description of his time spent south of the border. (“It’s all behind me now, like a long night after a bad taco”? Really?) The sequence with Claire wandering through the dark house, trying to avoid capture, was straight out of a grade-B thriller, but it was still effectively creepy, particularly when he finally succeeded. Okay, when he was first poking around in Claire’s head (literally), all I could think of was the scene at the end of “Hannibal,” when Dr. Lecter popped the top off Paul Krendler’s skull, but Sylar definitely got my attention…and Claire’s…when he said that she could never die. What, never…? (Well, hardly ever…)

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Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External TV, Fall TV Preview, Heroes, Reviews, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

Heroes: Season 3 Preview

September 18, 2008 /

I have seen the first hour of the two-hour premiere of the new season of “Heroes,” and I’d just like to dispel a rumor that’s been floating around the ‘net: the episode does not begin with Sylar standing in the shower, assuring Claire that Season 2 was just a bad dream.

Poor Tim Kring. He’s spent the last year having to deal with non-stop comments about how the second season of “Heroes” didn’t live up to the expectations that had been set by the first season, so much so that he felt obliged to go on the record with Entertainment Weekly and apologize to the fans. But don’t feel too badly for him: Kring’s reputation is already on the mend, courtesy of this first hour of Season 3 (subtitled “Villains”), of which the producers of “Heroes” were so proud that they debuted it at Comic-Con way back in July.

Our man Jason Zingale was on the scene at the time…yes, that’s right, he saw it before I did, the bastard…but sadly for those who love their spoilers, he was willing to say precious little about what he’d witnessed.

“I’d like to talk more about what I saw, but I simply don’t want to ruin the experience,” he said, in his original blog entry. “All I’ll say for now is that it is mind-blowing, and it’s exactly what the series needs after season two was interrupted by the strike. Some cliffhangers are explained and others aren’t. New characters with powers are introduced, while older characters reveal new powers of their own. And perhaps most importantly, it’s all done with a comic flair that was sorely missing from last year’s mini-season.”

Having now seen it for myself, I have no arguments with any of his statements. It really does feel like a return to form for the series…though, of course, let’s be honest: given how long it’s been since we last saw a new episode of the show – can you believe the last one aired on Dec. 3, 2007? – isn’t it possible that our desire for more “Heroes” might be making us a little bit more forgiving than we might otherwise be?

Sure, it’s possible…but when you see it for yourself on Monday, I’m pretty sure you, too, will agree that the series hasn’t been this much like a live-action comic book since Season 1.

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Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External TV, Fall TV Preview, Heroes, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

Fringe 1.2

September 18, 2008 /

This won’t be a formal blog, mostly because I wasn’t able to watch the episode when it originally aired, but given the discussion that evolved from my initial preview of the pilot, I thought I’d at least offer up a few brief comments about Episode #2.

* First off, I didn’t mention it in my original write-up about the series, but I really dig the way they set the location: with huge letters that look like they’re part of the scenery. It’s one of those accepted parts of a series that you wouldn’t think they could do anything particularly unique with, but damned if they didn’t.

* Like the pilot, the opening sequence is nice and harrowing, making it the perfect way to get you caught up in the episode right off the bat, and the decision to provide it with limited commercial interruptions – timed down to the second – was certainly appreciated as well. Also, the method of offering flashbacks to the pilot was a nice, unobtrusive way to giving first-timers just enough info to walk into this episode without feeling lost.

* The character of Dr. Walter Bishop continues to be fascinatingly eccentric, with his memories ebbing and flowing like the tide, but the reality is that John Noble’s performance in the role is enthralling to watch. His quiet, innocent delivery makes even the strangest lines work, and his sudden explosion of anger at one point is downright shocking.

* Thankfully, they have indeed attempted to downplay the Pacey-isms being delivered by Joshua Jackson. There are still a couple of moments where he throws out snappy lines which feel inappropriate, but the character of Peter is startling to feel more like a real guy caught up in a weird situation. (I can only presume that his aptitude at police work comes from years of watching procedurals on TV.)

* Okay, maybe Anna Torv is a little glum in her delivery, but I don’t really have a problem with her performance. I had to laugh when my wife made a comment about how she needed to get her roots done, but she accepted my argument (or pretended to, at least) that a real government agent wouldn’t be all that concerned about maintaining a glamorous look, anyway.

* Obviously, things don’t really kick into high gear until the last 15 minutes of the episode, but between the unfolding of the man-baby plot, Walter remembering where he parked his car, the tie-in to the case to Walter’s research, and Olivia trying to work out how much of her work over the past year was tainted by her traitorous partner, I remained thoroughly interested from beginning to end.

* All hail the cow!

Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External TV, Reviews, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

Prison Break 4.4: “Eagles and Angels”

September 16, 2008 /

Given the number of times that Michael and Sara used the phrase, the name of this episode should have been “One Day,” but obviously the writers are trying to make a point about how the series should eventually end – the carrot on the proverbial stick, if you will. And in this scenario, the audience is the mule/horse. Sometimes being a fan of this show feels like being a beast of burden, but this episode was relatively headscratcher-free, aside from Sara’s ponderous decision to have her credit cards exposed for the skeezy barfly to conveniently swipe, which (apparently) is the only way that Morpheus would be able to find the gang. Sara gets a pass since she wasn’t thinking straight, mourning the death of her friend and all. Heck, I give her credit for not downing that double bourbon, though the bartender gets an assist. (That bar scene was a nice piece of acting by Sarah Wayne Callies, by the way. It’s good to have her back in the fold.)

I also question the convenience of Gretchen being held somewhere in L.A. That’s a little contrived. She’ll eventually escape and cause a ruckus, no doubt.

Speaking of obvious future plot twists, with the death of Don’s whistleblower, it’s clear that the gang will eventually need to enlist the aid of T-Bag, since he (ponderously) is risking life and limb to infiltrate the Gate Corporation posing as the company’s top salesman. Apparently, this is somehow a part of the Scylla puzzle; methinks that the corner office is important so that the gang can either drill up or down into an adjacent floor.

Back to T-Bag – I was really looking forward to his first meeting with his supervisor, but that was fairly anticlimactic. However, I’ll give you three to one that he’s sliding up next to that well-endowed secretary in the next episode or two.

There was a nice moment between Linc and Bellick after the two had clashed earlier in the episode over Bellick’s constant naysaying. Bellick stepped up and stabbed the Company henchman, effectively saving Linc’s life.

We had another taste of foreshadowing with Michael’s bloody nose. He’s clearly suffering from some illness and it will either come up later in this season or at the end, when they’re setting up Season Four. Whatever the plan, I hope Fox allows the series to end on its own terms, or at least gives the creators enough notice so that they can end the show properly. I know it’s premature to talk about this, as the show is considered a “hit,” but it has happened time and time again to other series, and the conclusion of “Prison Break” needs to be protected. We’ve invested too many goshdarn hours in this show only to have them pull the rug out from underneath us.

Anyway, two cards down, four to go, and Morpheus is hot on the gang’s trail.

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

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