For the past two weeks, I have been spending inordinate amounts of my free time editing an article for publication. For you editors out there, I will (in very short order) be posting my comments on the bluebook system in an effort to try and standardize some of these citations (e.g., Westlaw, Blogs, NYSE Listing Manual, SEC stuff, to name a few). So after finally finishing this article, my nights are a little more free (or as free as they could be given that now I have two weeks of back work to catch up on).
Anyway, I had some free time now and thought I would spend it watching Shark, since I didn't watch it in real time because I was sick Thursday night and didn't bother to record it since I figured it would be online. Needless to say, CBS's Innertube once again blew it by not posting the latest episode of Shark, a complaint I discussed briefly last week and incorporate into this entry by reference. They did post the series premiere, which is fine if I hadn't already seen it, but the show isn't that good that I'm going to go out of my way to watch it Thursday nights. If it's not online, I would go as far as to say it's losing mass viewership.
My suggestion is that CBS hire some sort of internet consultant (and I'm sure there has to be some firm that does that by now) that can track real time visitors who are watching the shows online. As I have previously discussed, it's only a matter of time before these networks and media giants use the internet more effectively. Through this internet consultant/tracking system, they can use more effectively the combined Neilson-online viewer rating system and guage exactly how well a show or advertising campaign is doing. CBS's continued failure to pounce on this technology and, in effect, doing the online thing half-assed, just shows that their problems with the Katie Couric decision are just the tip of the iceberg. And now with Bob Barker leaving, how will that affect the ratings game? And, perhaps more importantly, who will host the Price is Right, Richard "Don't typecast me as Tool Time's Al Boreland" Karn?
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
CBS thwarts my time wasting efforts again
Monday, October 30, 2006
Here's one to think about
If you're looking for the Heroes review of "Better Halves", click here.
Yahoo's homepage features some sort of open question mechanism whereby anonymous users can post questions and other users post responses. I can't explain it much more simply than that. So if you wanted to know how to get a grease stain out of a shirt and didn't know that soap or dishwashing soap works (not to mention bleach or your regular laundry detergent), you can post that question and people will seemingly respond. Google has a similar feature, as do probably most sites.
Anyway, I was going on the Internet just now and saw that one of the "featured" questions asked "Anyone know how to make a space ship out of cardboard boxes for a 6 year old?" Now, I didn't bother to click on the answers until just now to write this entry, but my immediate thought was (and remains), why would you ask this? First, you can tape boxes together and make it look like a house and call it a rocket and a six year old won't really know the difference (you can always say it was a rocket from the 40s). The one person who did respond suggested going to Sears and asking for a refrigerator box.
But more to the point: why wouldn't this user simply do a yahoo or google search for the answer? I'm sure more than one person has posted a suggestion or how to on their website or blog. You could always search for the Halloween costumes on college humor and I'm sure you can see how they did it out of beer boxes or something along those lines. But, I guess if you didn't think of using the Internet search engines first, you can always take the easy way out and post a question.
My Heroes Review of Better Halves:
I also saw Heroes tonight; I don't think I will write more on it later because I am extremely busy this week, but my initial impression is that I was not impressed. As one of the earlier commentator-posters had correctly predicted, Professor X's neighbor turns out to be a spy for the man (the cheerleader's father, the Agent). Tonight's Heroes' episode "Better Halves" focused mostly on Niki/Ikin and her continued delve into a psychotic break. Maybe they finally killed her off, but I doubt that's the case. There was some meandering with Hiro and his friend and Peter and the stoner artist, but both were pretty much minor stories this week. We also meet Niki/Ikin's husband who at least attempts to be a good guy (although probably not in the eyes of the law). And so the show continues its cheerleader storyline (as well as reverting back to the 22 Short Films about Springfield method of storytelling), we even got a heartfelt, yet deceptively false (and yes, predictable) look into Claire-bear's bio-parents. At least she's beginning to suspect that her agent dad isn't quite the Major Dad like the one on Jericho.
Regardless of this so-so episode (probably 3rd or 4th down the list if I were ranking them so far), next week's preview seems much better as it appears the Heroes, for better or worse, will be "exposed" in various ways. Noting that tonight's is the sixth episode and I had originally gave this show a six-episode run, I will also say that Heroes has captured my attention enough to merit another seven episode commitment (half-season). I'm not going to be quite as generous as NBC in saying that I will give it a full season run (yet), but I also wouldn't be that surprised if that winds up being the case. We'll see which way next week proves me then.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Heroes: Review of Hiro's
I got to watch this episode on NBC's "Rewind" - at least with NBC's version of online digital media, the commercials are the same volume as (if not lower than) the show (cf. CBS's innertube). Thumbs up to NBC for that. And the commercials are only 10 seconds, leaving them free to continue their product placement endeavors without major incident. Speaking of incidents, I appreciate the acknowledgement of a "rift" to combat my earlier complaint of the philosophical paradox previously discussed.
The whole memory erasing thing has me a little confused; one of my friends says it's akin to being able to steal their powers somehow and the real enemy is a conglomerate of them all. I don't know if he's right or not. In either case, tonight's episode "Hiro's" continued last week's coming together theme. The best scene was putting Hiro and Nathan (the other flying brother) together in the first few minutes.
I'm not sure if "there're" is a proper contraction or not (subtitle reference), but that's just my editorial grammar sense kicking in. The struggle between Niki and Ikin continues, and it appears Ikin can come and go as she wants. I'm still not impressed with her character and it's storyline but maybe she's an integral character to the long-term plot. Good to see the cop who can hear thoughts is using them to advance his relationships; according to a recent study, this use of power is at least realistic. Now all he has to do is learn to control it; at least Mel Gibson's power was limited to women's thoughts.
The guy who can block out memories - similarly; I'm not exactly sure what their end game is, but at least things are happening. Not sure why they are arbitrarily taking some long term and some short term memory, but I'm sure they will explain it. It appears that the heroes' powers get stronger as they come together, so there's another possible glimpse into the future. I'm not sure if a new episode is on next week or not but I don't think we're quite into the rerun zone yet so maybe we'll get that sixth episode in so I can officially concede that I will continue watching it a little while longer.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
This week's Shark not on innertube? CBS blows
CBS, despite getting early positive reviews for their online digital media, struck out this week as my unusually hectic Thursday schedule last week once again precluded me from watching Shark in so-called "real time." Upon going to CBS's Innertube site today, the newest episode was not there, hence my headline.
As I initially came upon the show online (see Shark pilot review), it seems to be now that online is the only time I can find to watch it. I usually have a spare 42 minutes or so on the weekend, and in part because the show has some appeal and witty, snap dialogue, I can waste some of my time on this show. When the internet guy or girl at cbs forgets to do their job, however, it makes me have to do productive work in the alternative, which defeats the point of trying to take a break. Therefore, I'll assume this week's Shark episode "In the Grasp" sucked, so I didn't miss anything.
All of the episodes of Jericho were there, so if you're looking for a show not unlike Heroes that is starting to develop more quickly, you can watch that one. Last week's episode, Federal Response, finally pitted the two central characters, Jake and Hawkins, in somewhat juxtapositioning roles, but it worked well. At least we know now what I had suspected, and that was that Jake has some sort of government ties. How that plays into Hawkins' plans remain to be seen and we'll see if they can capture my attention past the remaining two episodes on its six episode stint.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Report: Stingray elevates war to next level
For immediate release:
PACIFIC OCEAN - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice took a firm stance Thursday, stating that under no circumstances would the U.S. and its allies tolerate the increased insurgency of the Stingray Republic. "The key for peace is for the stingrays to understand their place in the ocean," Rice stated to a crowded room of environmentalists, Australians, PETA members, and the premier of Uzbekistan. The latest attack on a Florida longshoreman reflects the increased bravado these stingrays have developed in recent weeks.
The latest attack does not bode well for stingray-human relations as the increase in reported skirmishes has already put U.S. installments throughout the Pacific on high alert. The most recent attack, says Rice, is an "obviously calculated response due to non-military personnel taking matters into their own hands." Rice refers to the 275% increase in "RSK" (random stingray killings) that began shortly after environmentalist and former Ambassador to the Stingray Republic Steve Irwin's tragic death last month. It is believed that the attacks have been directed by the Atlantic Stingray Sub-Alliance (ASS).
Rice condemns the ASS's futile attacks in light of the Stingray Premier's statement last week that Irwin's death was a tragic mistake by unsanctioned rebel forces. Nevertheless, the Premier has reiterated his support for the stingray insurgency. "The Stingray's Republic of the Western Pacific will not stand idly by as our brothers continue to be slaughtered at the hands of the oppressors," reports the Premier's U.N. Ambaassador. "Short of complete withdrawal from our ocean boundaries, we cannot affirmatively state when these attacks will end." Talks between the Pacific and Atlantic fronts are expected to continue next week.
Read more!
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Heroes: Collision Review
Not much to say about last night's episode of Heroes, Collision, other than it was great. This was the type of episode I expected from the preview and the previous three episode's setup, and I thought it was very well done. The lines between the good and bad heroes are being drawn, I suppose, is one way of putting it, and "Collision" began to set forth how they will all come together. It's what I expected the show to be about all along, and I am glad it finally (albeit convolutedly) has begun to do so.
Some assumptions: The Hiro 20XX appearance was pretty cool. Assuming he must learn how to time travel at ease, I'm surprised he wouldn't have appeared to himself first. I guess he has to set the various reactive chains in motion somehow [paradox issues disregarded].
Ikin's mutation isn't much more than what I have previously predicted and discussed, something of a takeoff of The Dark Half, Secret Window, or Hide and Seek. Her multiple personality cannot realistically be construed as anything but a pychotic break. Nice try.
I see by next week's preview the Congressional Flying brother flies away, so I am left to wonder now whether he is going to fly back to his brother and side up with them or continue waffling about. I also predict that Hiro and his sidekick will meet up with Niki/Ikin's son and somehow band together.
Comment on the Cheerleader's eggshell skull: She can heal almost instantaneously without any scarring but she falls onto a branch (which seemed pretty long) and it impales her skull? I guess that can happen, but it seems pretty fishy. A neck break maybe, but it's not like he shot her with a bow and arrow or anything.
Conclusion: Save the cheerleader and save the world. I guess they figure she can eat the bomb or something and survive. We will find out next week how she can amazingly get out of a crushed car only to have what I can only assume would be crushed legs grow back/unflatten out.
Addendum: I will write on this one of these days, but I noticed that the press for this garbage disposal (InSinkErator) continues to make headlines, as evidenced by CNN's latest reporting of it. I am sure the name would have been visible in the preview and somehow they have associated the fictional television injury with real life, and this warped interpretation assumes this would translate into negative sales and bad press out. Who but a nitpicking audience would question the type of garbage disposal that would cause that kind of damage? Hopefully the summary judgment gets posted so I can get a good laugh. Realistically though, I am sure their sales have seen a considerable jump since the press continues to feed this story, and until I see a reason to otherwise, I am assuming this is a win-win type of lawsuit for them (the merits of which are beyond the scope of this entry). This plug is free. [Your ad can go hear for a nominal price].
Monday, October 09, 2006
Heroes: One Giant Leap review
At least the preview for next week’s Heroes’ episode seems to indicate the show’s main characters are finally going to start coming together, sort of a Lady in the Water type of unification. Spoilers again abound in my review of tonight's episode, so if you haven’t seen it already, you may want to check back another time.
I’m sure this episode is on NBC’s website somewhere so why anyone would want to download a torrent for it is beyond me; I looked around for the full video feed to provide the link, but was unable to find it after several quick glances. Unlike CBS’s innertube concept or ABC’s equivalent, NBC’s online video service hasn’t quite figured it that accessibility and, consequently, widespread use first begin with some sort of clear, distinct link to help advertise it. For a company so far ahead in some respects, how can it be so far behind in such basics?
This week’s Heroes episode, One Giant Leap, asks the viewers to ponder the question whether the future is pre-determined or can be altered. I will get to that momentarily.
The review: Rather than go into a long dissertation about how each character was developed a little more in this episode, I will summarize it by saying that “One Giant Leap” begins to pit the good characters against the bad ones, and introduces the seemingly evil character, some sort of Flash/Shadow-eque mind controller (Sylar). It also develops (a little) the idea that these genetic mutations are shared among familial lines (which supports the idea that the Niki/Ikin's son, as well as her mother-in-law have some "power"). It also strikes more at the idea that the heroes, by either the Professor X’s late father’s research endeavor or the Agent’s knockoff version, are being pulled together to serve the greater good, i.e., advancing the central storyline. This episode tended to do more of the same as to what the first two episodes did, and next week’s preview suggests the initial coming together and realization that more than one of them have such powers, so I think next week's episode would be worth watching moreso for that one. Overall "One Giant Leap" was okay; if you liked episode 2, you will probably like episode 3 as well. Read on or click here for my rational prediction of the overall plot of the next four episodes.
Things I liked: The evil characters seem to have it together a little bit more than the good characters. I’m sure this will change. I will give credit for this shadow/mind-controlling evil mutant for creativity since I know I have seen parts of that somewhere, but can’t quite place where, so maybe it’s new, and I can defer to that assumption. I appreciated the car ad, which would obviously survive any online commercial cutting, and I will ignore my suspicion that renting a car at an airport with a foreign driver's license is not as easy as they made it seem (as well as my, perhaps erroneous, assumption that a Japanese worker like Hiro probably not have known how to drive a car in real life or ever had).
Things that defied sense: Cheerleaders at Chilicothe High School or wherever in Kansas they are from, sure love wearing their uniforms. As I pointed out last week, cheerleaders do not wear their uniforms unless they have to. I dated a cheerleader for a short while in high school and the reason for this is that the uniforms simply aren’t flattering. Only in bad movies (or in this case, fictional television programs) would the entire cheerleading squad go to a party wearing their uniforms.
I found the stereotype of the football player who “can’t take no” pretty appalling also. As I have repeatedly mentioned, I can only suspend disbelief so much. At least it looks like they are scrapping the entire high school storyline (which is good) since they can effectively “kill her off” and she can develop her secret identity elsewhere and everyone will assume she has died. I am premising this assumption, in part, on blind faith and also that her autopsy is being performed at one of the Agency’s labs. Of course she is shown driving the scumbag rapist into a wall, so hopefully she is pretending to be some sort of ghost. Also, the class president election coinciding with homecoming makes no sense. Maybe that’s how they do it in whatever fantasy high school these writers went to, but again, an ounce of research helps for a pound of suspended believability.
Things I didn’t like: Gob the mind-reading cop gets caught by the bad guys? I guess mutants aren’t telepathic. While I would be disappointed by killing off his character, it would show that a)they aren’t afraid to kill off characters, b)not all the good guys will make it, and c) it would be easier to forget their assumption that some random FBI agent can just hire an accused conspirator to come work with her, and give him a gun in the same fell swoop. I really am hoping he sticks around so he (not Hiro) becomes the comic relief of the show, but at the same time, I hate to Greg Grunberg be typecast as such (e.g., his character in Alias).
Next four episodes prediction (a.k.a. assumptions I am making to keep my suspended belief suspended):
I will completely suspend the whole destiny pre-determined or not debate. The show’s basic premise is that the powers have developed, largely concurrently, for some reason (assumedly to stop this bomb). No need to join in that whole debate since it’s better explained in any Philosophy 100 class.
Since I am being asked to set aside any disbelief in time travel, I will ignore the various philosophical paradoxes that the show has already created and dubiously questioned. Particularly, I am going to assume the following things have happened (as a nod to a college philosophy in film course I took). First, the stoner artist dies on or before November 8 by Sylar the evil guy. In actuality, it may or may not be the stoner artist, but the police assume it is. Hiro saw it, if he changes it, then why would he have teleported back and restarted the chain of events? One way to solve the paradox would be that Hiro (who somehow unlearned English as he tried calling the stoner artist) eventually meets up with the stoner artist to warn him. Knowing that he will teleport in, they somehow trick Sylar into thinking some other stoner artist is THE stoner artist. Or it’s someone else with powers.
Second, Hiro’s sidekick friend (who is enthralled that he meets his dream internet girl), realizes the paradox and when the police call his cell phone (it’s reasonable to think it was a cell phone they called), they are actually calling the friend somewhere in New York, who tells October 2 Hiro that he has been missing for five weeks. Having seen this attack and Senator-Elect Fly’s victory, this also means that there was some sort of attack/demolition on November 8, and Hiro mistakes this for the bomb and teleports back to close the loop.
I stand by my prediction that the bomb is the season finale or close to it if they are going for the whole 24 effect). I am also assuming that since something good worked out for the Senator-Elect Fly, this means he shortly turns evil (see last week's character portrayal for further analysis as to my point here). To balance the good and bad heroes, his brother stays good, sort of a whole Darth Vader-Luke type of thing.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
The benefits of a Discover card
I don't have a Discover card, but a couple of my good friends do, and the story always seems to end up the same. Although Discover has a cash-back option, it has a somewhat limited use in terms of places that accept it. Specifically, I am talking about the numerous bars that do not accept Discover for whatever reason, and in my experience, many do not. As a result, it's become a running joke that my Discover card-toting friends often use this assumption and offer to pay, only to discover the Discover card has once again thwarted their good intentions, leaving the rest of us to pick up the tab. With the money you save by not starting a tab at a bar, it's no wonder they choose Discover. Just an observation before the NFC east games start up.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Jericho: Four Horsemen review
I started to watch this week’s episode of Jericho, Four Horsemen before the Lost season premier but kept getting interrupted. Fortunately, CBS’s innertube came through for me, and I was able to watch the end of the episode. The online commercials’ volume continues to be annoying, but what can you do.
Four Horsemen dealt with the aftermath of the first potentially radioactive rainstorm after the bombs dropped. After the storm, the leaders of Jericho decide to split up and see how the rest of the world has fared. The rest of the town throws a giant picnic. Jake, who travels northward, discovers a couple of downed planes and confiscates the black box to determine what happened. With a little technological help, Jake is able to play the black box and filter out all of the background noise to discover a hidden message of hope for his ex-girlfriend. That hokiness aside, the recovery storyline continues to develop (albeit slowly), and next week’s preview makes it seem like the military presence will begin to be felt, so maybe the pace will finally start to pick up. So long as it doesn’t turn into a remake of The Stand, that will be fine by me. A few observations:
Observation 1: Hawkins continues to develop as a character who knows a lot more than he lets on. After all, who stores those kinds of weapons and whatever is in the barrel in a public storage facility? I suppose, as long as he pays his bill, they won’t rifle through his stuff. And why is he bricking up whatever was in the barrel?
Observation 2: The majority of the parents of the teenagers in Jericho are either dead or simply unable to control their ungrateful children. I find it hard to develop any respect for the one kid (Dale) who appears to have a thing for the popular girl when she hands him some stale crackers to eat. Gee, that’s the thanks after supposedly saving her from the radioactive rain? Her friends epitomize the saying, "with friends like those, who needs enemies?"
Observation 3: The electricity has gone out, but the beer is still cold, which is great for whatever beer company paid to advertise it– I would imagine that as product placement continues to develop in online media, more specific advertising will appear. If there was a specific beer that paid to be advertised, it didn't do a very good job. One potential problem with product placement advertising has already begun to surface, and I will save my commentary on this for another day. As long as it's not blatant like the Converse ads were in I, Robot, that will be fine by me.
Observation 4: Speaking of radioactive rain and their Geiger counter, the Jericho survivors seem to put a lot of faith into the ability of covering their face in case the Geiger counter indicated something bad rather than nothing. The joke about the filth being what’s left of Denver was kind of funny. Major Dad’s patience with his political adversary has also reached its limit, which is good since I find it hard to believe that kind of petty bickering would survive past a nuclear attack. Jericho's democratic government remains indefinitely suspended.
Observation 5: I counted seven bombs that went off, and putting my recollection of Hawkin’s map from last week’s episode, this means that they hit in Denver, Los Angeles, San Diego, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, and Philadelphia. The lamp obstructed my view to see if Seattle had been hit, and apparently it hadn’t been, and they are leaving for Heroes to save New York, since that city was apparently not a target in this show.
Conclusion: The show has begun to remind me somewhat of the Morlocks and the Elois from H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine. I still am not sure what the show is about other than maybe rebuilding a society, but hopefully it’s not as boring as that. And the kid discovers the missing train of supplies? Next thing you know they will develop a relationship between the IRS agent and the guy she was investigating (also Jake’s friend).
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Lost premiere: A Tale of Two Cities reaction
Far many more people, much more devoted to the show than I, will be writing their reactions and theorizing as to where the writers are going. Supposedly a lot of the loose strings will be tied up this season, and next week's preview hints at this starting to happen. Without having the exact inside track, I will simply post my reaction:
-Season 3 started off with a striking parallel to Season 2's opening scene, and we see how the idyllic city of the "others" had an instant interest in the snapping off of the airplane.
-jack's caretaker (whose name eludes me at the moment) bears a striking resemblance to desmond's girlfriend. perhaps this is her "bad twin" although I think that theory is just a red herring. perhaps not.
-given the paradise lost on the island, why did they let the french woman live all these years with no real assignment?
-and why is that ship filled with dynamite there? what was the name of that one again?
-henry gale's name is ben. seems ordinary enough.
Overall, I thought it was pretty good - the ending was kind of odd, but intriguing enough - it lends some support to the idea that they are already dead, but that's an odd theory as well. More than likely, they have some sort of Internet connection and the basic information she told him could have easily been found through a google search. (Obviously, she could have had any stack of paper and told him anything and he would have just believed him, and perhaps that was the point of the exercise. Realistically, she would also search myspace, and would find Dr. Jack Shephard and all of his friends there.
Lost: Season 3 premiere & general expectations
The Lost season premiere, A Tale of Two Cities, airs tonight. Generally, and for this show in particular, I try and avoid reading anything about this show except for Entertainment Weekly's recap, mainly because this is the one show on television I enjoy watching unravel at its controlled pace. I also know that ABC's creative staff loves just throwing things out there for people to jump on, and I appreciate the misdirection, but have no interest in it.
From what I read, season 3 will start off tonight with a 6 episode stint and then return sometime after the superbowl to run to completion without any repeats. That is fine by me. Here are my predictions/expectations for this season (in no particular order):
-First 6 episodes - obviously will focus on escaping. I would imagine the rest of the group will be working with Sayid to get them back once Hurley returns.
-We will hear the backstory for how Locke lost the use of his legs
-We will hear at least two more Jack backstories (and probably 1 more Kate or Sawyer backstory)
-The french woman's backstory will be told
-maybe some hint at the others' backstory, but probably through eko
-at least one more major character will be killed off
-michael winds up back at the main camp "after feeling bad" but really because he fails to calculate correctly the heading
-more of desmond's backstory & how his fiance is searching for him. this back story may be accomplished through a parallel story, and I imagine it will be a well-written episode.
I watched the season 1 & 2 recap last week and noticed that fake Henry Gale planted the seeds of doubt into Locke, so I'm now operating on the assumption that he wanted him to stop pressing the button. So we'll hear some more about the consequences of no longer pressing the button.
That's it. Hopefully it's a good one.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Jericho: Series Premiere & Fallout review
Quick review: Jericho has an interesting post-apocalyptic premise, multiple storylines, and is worth a shot. This show definitely should be on a 10 PM timeslot rather than 8 PM, at least for the hope that they can get into some darker concepts. Check it out online; it will keep your interest piqued for at least six episodes.
My pitch for watching it online: CBS’s innertube has once again permitted me the opportunity to watch another show after hearing one of my friends give me a two minute rundown of it and it seemed like one that had a lot of potential. Again, the commercials online jump up like five decibels, so be aware you will need to turn down your computer to compensate.
The plot: Imagine living in a small Midwestern town and off toward the West you see a mushroom cloud rising. The television goes off, phones stop working, and giant flying animals start dropping from the sky. Thinking in terms of parallels, think end of Terminator 3 meets the Postman 15 years before the movie took place and with a substantially better plot. Now ask yourself how long do you think it would take before civilized society resorts to its degenerate bases? How fast would panic set in, rioting and looting become commonplace, and marshal law become declared? And what if you had no idea whether the persons who would be in a position to restore order are even around to do so? Welcome to Jericho, the post-apocalyptic paradise of the New World.
The characters: Thirty-two year old Jake Green (Skeet Ulrich) is Jericho’s reluctant high school hero who has been away for five years. His explanation of where he has been varies depending on who he talks to, but given his rudimentary medical training, prowess with rigging dynamite, and ability to drive a bus as good as Sandra Bullock, it appears he probably had some military training. Jake’s Major Dad (probably better recognized as George Hearst on Deadwood) Gerald McRaney is the incumbent mayor of the quaint little town of Jericho. There are a bunch of side characters (Jake’s ex-girlfriend who, for television purposes, gets out of her car on a dark desert highway to examine some dead crows, a deaf girl, one or two other girls who have crushes on Jake, his mother, his adulterous deputy mayor brother, his brother's bartender lover who kind of looks like Jeri from one of the Survivor shows, his brother’s doctor wife, the mayor-hopeful, a rogue IRS agent, and a MacGyver-type ex-cop from St. Louis, Robert Hawkins (Lennie James), who appears to also have an impressive knowledge of ham radio, electronics, nuclear safety, and Morse code.
The story: I think Jericho has the potential of being either really good or really bad. On the one hand, these type of end-of-the-world type stories don’t tend to do that well, and many of the storylines are recycled. On the other, I don’t recall off-hand any recent shows or movies (and the only older ones I remember are the Postman and Mad Max), that examine how a small town would react to the blackout of news to the rest of the world and scattered knowledge that multiple nuclear or hydrogen bombs have been dropped in several US cities. Personally, I think the world would slip to chaos much faster than it appears to be doing on the show, but at least this show attempts to tell how one town will try to survive and rebuild, based on what little information they are getting.
My review: I think a show like this has more good potential than bad, but I’m just not sure where they are going with the story after two episodes. They are leaving a lot of loose strings that can be tied up in future episodes, but I think the pace needs to pick up a bit if they want to secure the ratings victory. I do like how they are trying to focus the story on Jake and his role in all of this, but after watching the first two shows back to back, I have to wonder whether this is turning into a Postman-type tv show, or will it become something better. If it turns out to be a story about delivering the mail or if Jake winds up to have known something about all of this and it's some sort of elaborate set up, the concept may be better off left to the silver screen.
Thus, the concept merits further review, but two episodes haven’t appeared to have brought out the specific storyline, so I have to wonder if they will do it in four more (obviously the general theme is “survival past the end of the world”). I’m hopeful, but haven’t been able to determine a better way to do it yet, so I will watch for another month and see how creative these writers really are.
Conclusion: If you don’t have a better show on the 8 PM Wednesday time slot or have some free internet time and a high speed connection, check out Jericho. If you wonder how your town would react in the face of a disaster that effectively isolates your town from the rest of the country, this show offers a look at one possible, optimistic scenario as to how our citizenry would react.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Heroes: Don't Look Back review
According to the NBC promo, 25 million people watched the premiere, and it’s the show “everyone is reading about.” Here’s my take on this week’s episode: Don’t Look Back. Spoilers abound, so take the time to watch the episode on NBC online if you haven’t already.
This episode didn’t do that much better in terms of character development, but I guess six or so individual scenes of all the characters advances the storyline as much as six episodes focused on each of the characters, so it is what it is. I found myself becoming increasingly critical of the episode until about 4/5 of the way through, where the ending finally brought the point of the spliced storylines together, so hopefully next week begins with a more developed story than the splintering format readily apparent in the first two episodes. The ending certainly made up for much of the episode, and it leaves me more optimistic the initial success of the show can be maintained.
Rather than give a brief rundown of the episode's high and low points, I will simply continue with my portrayal of the characters and explain the episode through that way (since that is how much of the episode progressed anyway).
General characteristics of the characters: If you have powers and are one of the “good guys,” expect to have some sort of police involvement. Conversely, if you’re one of the “bad guys” (real or potentially), expect to get away with murder.
The “Don’t Look Back” episode introduced the name of the villain (Silar), who may or may not be the Agent described in my previous reviews. The bomb in the city apparently takes place November 8, so at least they don’t plan on dragging that particular storyline out that long, but that means that they will save the day then (at the 1/3 of the season mark) and likely postpone this apocalyptic event until later in the season (possibly a cliffhanger).
The Heroes continue their journey of discovery:
Professor X: finds a flash drive containing the super secret method of tracking all the heroes. Not surprisingly, another incompetent goon of the “counter-hero agency” (the “Agency”) fails to make this discovery and is defeated at the threat of fire extinguisher and a petite British woman.
Isaac Mendez, artist of the stars: Survives his overdose before we discover his ability appears to be limited to seeing everybody’s death but his own. Or is it? As I predicted, he is the creator of the 9th wonder comic book.
The Agent (who may or may not be Silar, the evil mutant serial killer): his power this week is the amazing ability to rob a high school kid without tipping his hand. In doing so, he discovers that his adopted daughter (the cheerleader) has one of these evolutionary genetic markers he’s seeking to destroy (or convert to his own use).
If you use your powers for good, expect some sort of police or medical involvement:
Claire the adopted cheerleader: save a life and be lined up for an odd interrogation with the rest of your cheerleader friends only to have your cheerleader nemesis take the credit. (See gripe 1 below). I can only assume that the nemesis will face some sort of retribution from the Agency as a result. I hope to be surprised that this doesn’t happen.
Matt Parkman, the psychic cop. Likeable character; his talent and character is a cross between “What Women Want” and Carl Winslow. His brush in with the law is that his psychic ability implicates him in a vicious crime. I’m sure he’ll be able to think his way out of it.
The Fly and The Fly II (senator-elect): Not too much this episode. In the end, there was a moment very reminiscent of a scene from The Heavenly Kid where the ‘Fonz guy is trying to convince the other guy (who turns out to be his son) that he’s an angel. Apparently it takes concentration to fly before it becomes second nature, kind of like Ghost. His first “attempted suicide” lands him in the hospital.
Hiro the teleporter (“Prot”) : His secondary power is the ability to pick up conversational English almost as fast as he can travel across the globe. I guffawed at his using yen to pay for the comic book (this means it was not that clever). Hopefully next week he learns the lesson of not picking up incriminating evidence.
If you use your powers for bad, no consequences:
Niki ("Don't call me a stripper" Sanders: Until I see a need to otherwise, I will refer to her split personality as “Ikin.” Ikin seems to be good at covering up a lot of stuff, and Niki goes right along with it without asking questions. Her ex-husband is mentioned again as being “on the run” – she probably could win on an insanity defense. I maintain my criticism of her super power as being a front to schizophrenia.
Conclusion:
The end of the episode at least starts to tie the semblance of a television-worthy plot together. I hope they do a better job with the character development next week, and I think the psychic cop’s character has the potential of bringing them all together once Hiro can bust him out of prison. Assuming that this snag remedies itself in the first few scenes of next week’s episode, it appears the Fly and his brother may be sharing the “central character to the plot” role with the psychic cop (nickname forthcoming).
Addendum (Gripe one):
Somehow the writers forgot that cheerleaders don’t practice on the football field, and most coaches frown upon non-athletes walking through practice. If you’re going to have a high school storyline, Dawson’s Creek is not the model to use and neither is Saved by the Bell. I can only assume that whoever scripted this must have dreamed of being an athlete because they certainly didn’t get it right. And fyi, the cheerleaders in high school generally wear their uniforms on days of football, basketball games, key wrestling matches, or pep rallies, not for practice.
If Heroes is going to keep going with this high school storyline, and I’m not saying they should or should not, I suggest the writers hire the varsity club president of some local high school to help consult with them during his or her offseason or get him or her to make a recommendation of someone who can make the show's portrayal of high school a little more believable. The last thing we need on tv is another Laguna Beach, since that's real life. I saw that Heroes is produced by “Tailwind productions," which uses a pole vaulter for their icon, which is great. On the assumption that this company must have some roots in track & field, then I'm going to assume further that someone connected to the show participated in *varsity* athletics at the high school or college level, and they must be insulted by this misleading portrayal of high school life/sports.
Other observations: I must have seen three or four x-men commercials. Who are the ad wizards who came up with this one? Aren’t they trying to distinguish Heroes from X-Men?
