Category: External TV (Page 384 of 419)

First Portland, then the world

February 8, 2007 / Jason Zingale

It’s been three months since we last sat down to discuss “Lost,” and while the show’s triumphant return will no doubt reignite interest among the wavering fan base, the episode also didn’t deliver on Entertainment Weekly’s promise that it would have fans on the edge of their seats. Then again, the guys over at EW are absolutely gaga for the island drama, so I recommend that you take anything they say with a grain of salt. With that said, this week’s show did answer quite a few questions – the most notable being how Juliet arrived on the island – and looks to have finally ended that horrible string of episodes revolving exclusively around the Mod Squad (Jack, Kate and Sawyer). Oh yeah, and Mr. Friendly was finally given a name during the most absurd moment of the episode. While Jack works intently on Ben’s spinal tumor, Mr. Friendly leans in and says, “I’m Tom, by the way.” What? You’re friend and leader might be on the verge of death and you’re more concerned with introductions? Who cares what your name is?

Picking up where we last left off, Jack has just made his play for the safe return of Kate and Sawyer by threatening to let Ben die on the operating table. Upon discovering that – yes – Sawyer was actually telling the truth about them being on a completely different island, the dynamic duo gain an ally in Rousseau’s daughter and are promised a boat in return for their help. The task at hand is actually fairly easy, and after tricking the guard with the old “Wookie prisoner gag,” they discover that Little Rousseau’s boyfriend is being subjected to some sort of “Clockwork Orange”-like experiment, complete with restraints and subliminal messages. But when they make it back to the coast safely, they’re encountered by a couple Others who have decided to ignore the direct orders to let them go. This course of action doesn’t bode well for the incredibly hotheaded Danny, who gets a couple bullets to the chest courtesy of Juliet.

It looks like the writers are preparing to make a big move regarding Juliet. In the next few weeks, don’t be surprised if she’s either killed or joins up with Jack and the rest of the survivors. Showcasing her past in this week’s flashback segment certainly helped in earning some sympathy votes from the fans. As a research assistant for some unnamed lab in Miami, Florida, Dr. Juliet Burke (yes, you heard correctly) was working on a means of artificial impregnation when she’s suddenly approached by a mysterious (and privately funded) corporation looking to entice her over to the Dark Side. As you could expect, the corporation in question has an obvious connection to the Hando Foundation, but whether or not they are the same people is still unclear. What we do know is that they’re very interested in Juliet’s research, which will no doubt play a big part in why Claire’s baby was of such importance during the first two seasons.

Next week: The survivors raid the Others’ camp in an attempt to rescue their fearless leader. Plus, Desmond goes apeshit… again.

External TV, Lost, TV

I am so embarrassed.

February 6, 2007 / Will Harris

I totally did not notice the license plate of Hiro’s dad’s car.

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

24, Hour 7: Oh, father

February 6, 2007 / David Medsker

While staring down Broadway at one of the two big twists in the final segment of tonight’s episode of “24,” the other twist T-boned my car, threw me from the vehicle, and knocked me unconscious. I knew that Daddy Bauer (official Premium Hollywood nickname pending) was going to kill Dr. Romano/Evil from the second that he asked to be left alone. Jesus, Jack, haven’t you learned anything? The second your back is turned, bad shit happens, even when your father is around…especially when your father is around. Once word of Dr. Romano’s death reaches you, maybe you’ll connect the dots.

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. (And now we know why Daddy killed the goon assigned to kill him, instead of giving Jack the chance to ask him any questions.) S-M-R-T, as Homer Simpson would spell it.

As for the other twist, well, I’m embarrassed to admit that I thought that the reluctant engineer for the nuclear triggers would also be Daddy Bauer. I envisioned him killing Dr. Romano, then getting a cell phone call from Fayed, saying, “We have some unfinished business,” or something equally cliché. Then he takes off out the back door while Jack isn’t looking, and goes to settle this whole nuke thing on his own before his company is implicated any further. And speaking of the company, I have to ask this: wouldn’t the government, with its all-knowing intel abilities, know that Jack’s father and brother run a group that deals in nuclear weapons? I mean, come on, are the Bauers members of the Stonecutters or something?

So back to the twist, then: Morris, hearing the “news” that his brother is in critical condition at the hospital as a result of the nuclear blast, takes off as soon as his shortcuts to decrypting the garbled image file have started working. It’s a shame he didn’t wait until it was finished, or he would have seen that the engineer to be coerced was…him. I’m tempted to ask why he didn’t want to see who the engineer was, especially if there’s a chance in hell that it could be him, but the larger question is about CTU’s willingness to let Morris leave in the first place. When Edgar’s mother was caught in a nuclear blast during Day Four, they refused to let Edgar leave. Now look at today. Morris’ brother’s in the hospital? Go attend to that, man. We’ll cover for you. Don’t worry, it’s only a matter of four nuclear weapons in play. CTU’s gotten soft, man. No wonder there’s a mole within their operations every time they turn around.

Plot C involved the president reconsidering the Biscuit’s plan to lock up anyone who looks like a terrorist, now that Karen Hayes is out of the picture (don’t get me started). President Palmer, finally, becomes suspicious of the Biscuit and his intentions, and the introduction of the Vice President, who also happens to be the senator of Sin City, goes to great lengths to justify that mistrust. Senator Roark looks ready to bomb his own plane out of the sky for the sake of national security. Yikes. How long before they start plotting Wayne’s death during staff meetings?

I’m curious to find out how and when they are going to bring back President Buck Buck Brawwwwwk and the First Lady of Crazy. I have to admit that the White House scenes are downright boring without them. Wayne Palmer may be the sole voice of reason left in the White House, but he’s a dull voice of reason. God, I hope that Karen Hayes shakes things up when she arrives at CTU…assuming she ever gets there. Hey, there’s a plot twist for ya! The Biscuit kills Hayes, and Bill Buchanan declares war on the White House. Now, that would be sweet. After all, if they’re going to embrace their soap-y nature, why not go all the way?

24, External TV, TV, TV Action

Prison Break: “Chicago”

February 6, 2007 / John Paulsen

Tonight’s episode had a few silly moments…

1. “The President” offers Agent Eisen the position of Chief of Staff in her administration. Yeah, right.
2. The gang sees the roadblock up ahead, but Lincoln has plenty of time to climb on the roof and eventually commandeer the train.
3. The fourth (is it the fourth?) switcheroo of the season, which was so unbelievably obvious since they didn’t show the faces of the runners in the woods.
4. C-Note, an escaped fugitive, has the bad luck of happening upon a robbery. What are the odds?

In other news, Agent Eisen just keeps getting cooler and cooler. He had a couple of great lines on the train:

(after Sarah tries to kill him) “One! You get one of those!”

(to the worker on the train) “You need to do what I just told you to do. You take the tickets; I’ll watch the fugitive. And you guys just continue to do bong hits or whatever it is you do back there.”

And I’m really digging his sunglasses.

The bathroom scene between Sarah and Michael was nice, but it’s clear from the final shot that she hasn’t completely forgiven him for getting her in all this trouble. He’s made some headway, though.

I thought it would be interesting to see more of Bellick on the inside, but that storyline must not appeal to the writers. It would involve developing a few more characters, which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing considering we’ve lost a few along the way. By the way, the scene in the car with Bellick practicing his FBI introduction was pretty funny.

The show continues to suffer when it delves into the three supporting storylines. They tried to dress up C-Note’s week with an armed robbery, and it was a nice moment when he came back to help the blonde, but the whole concept was pretty lame from the start. Also, the “sick kid who needs her medicine” storyline is going to get really old really quickly. 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.

And poor Haywire, who never got to see Holland. How about Mahone talking him off the ledge, the wrong way? That was some cold stuff.

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

Heroes, Week 14: “Well, it’s a start.”

February 5, 2007 / Will Harris

So Doctor Invisible is really giving Peter some major trial-by-fire education in maintaining the super powers he borrows from other people. First, the Doc swipes a purse, hands it to Peter, and leaves ol’ Pete to either step up and stay invisible or get stone cold busted. (It’s the latter.) Then, he throws Peter off the roof of Isaac’s apartment, down several stories, and onto the roof of a taxicab. Ouch. But, dammit, it works, and Peter survives. He also proceeds to almost fulfill his destiny and explode, an event the Doctor nips in the bud, along with offering one the episode’s best lines. (The Doc also made me laugh when he tells Peter that he’s spent a lot of time around people when he’s invisible and, for the most part, they’re all “selfish, deceitful, and gassy.” Hee, hee.)

Niki’s therapy begins in earnest, though it’s none too surprising when she clears her mind and is immediately thereafter taken over by Jessica, who promptly breaks free of her chains and tasers the living shit out of her therapist. “Take me back to my cell!” screams Niki, after she comes to and realizes what’s happened…only to get a baton upside her head. Can’t really blame the guard, though…so you can imagine how pissed off he is when, despite her actions, she’s basically thrown out of the asylum, courtesy of Mr. Linderman pulling some strings. But who’s this guy on Death Row who’s supposedly taken the blame for Niki’s / Jessica’s crimes? Whatever the case, by episode’s end, Niki’s still imprisoned…in her own mind, with Jessica taking the reigns.

Claire’s dad get a whuppin’, Sylar-style; it’s an unexpected move for Sylar to leave Daddy alive…until you realize that he’s doing it to make him suffer. Sylar proceeds to head over to the homestead, claiming to be delivering paper to the house. Claire’s mom falls for his ruse, making me wonder if Brother Voodoo has done her synapses permanent damage with all the time he must’ve wiped her clean. After Sylar knocks the living hell out of Claire’s mom, Daddy bursts in with Brother Voodoo in tow, screaming, “HE DIES!” Predictably, Sylar gets away…and Brother Voodoo burns off another layer of Mom’s brain.

Isaac gets confirmation from Simone that their relationship is definitely over…in almost the same breath that she asks him to find Peter for her. A bit later, Isaac paints the taxi cab…the one Peter later falls on…but he also paints a picture of he and Simone kissin’, which comes true while Peter and Doctor Invisible are standing nearby, unseen. Of course, Peter’s soon too busy plummeting to worry about being jealous…

Claire sticks with her manatee-report story for another week, setting the stage for her and Zach to sneak off and meet her birth mother. The meeting between her and her mother begins rather anticlimactically, mostly because our concern’s mostly for what Sylar’s doing back at her adopted parents’ house. (I must admit, I really thought for sure Claire’s birth mom had slipped her newfound daughter a mickey.) But it was a really nice moment when Claire revealed her powers and her mom smirked, said, “Some family,” and lit a fire in her palm.

We do finally find out exactly how Hiro’s gotten away with being away from work for this long: his dad owns the company! Hiro’s dad “always looks angry,” according to Hiro, but, damn, George Takei’s looking fierce. Ando’s right, though, Hiro’s sister is hot. Hiro ends up soul-searching because he’s presented with a concern that no good Japanese son can ignore: family honor. His solution, however, is to pass the buck to his more-than-worthy sister to serve as his father’s successor…a suggestion which makes his father growl and grumble, though he agrees to the premise.

How about that closing shot? Nathan is Claire’s real dad…?!?!?

Holy shit.

I totally didn’t see that coming. Not at all. Not even remotely.