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Posted
Feb 04 2010, 02:21 PM
by
KATV
with no comments
Jeevan Brar and I are back with another edition of the TV Casualty podcast! This week, we discuss the Grammy awards (Jeevan likes the performances; I just don't care), Ron Swanson's mustache (verdict: dreamy), Ugly Betty's cancellation (boo!) and how the heck James van der Beek makes so much money.
Listen to the podcast below, or you can download the mp3. And remember, you can now subscribe to the TV Casualty podcast on iTunes.
TV Casualty podcast, Ep. 3: I need a giant forehead and an annoying sense of self-righteousness. (Download mp3)
 Subscribe to the TV Casualty Podcast on iTunes
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Posted
Feb 03 2010, 04:08 PM
by
KATV
with 1 comment(s)
The sixthand final season of Lost premiered last night, and everything changed, and everything stayed the same.
Following the last moments of last season's finale, when Juliet detonated the hydrogen bomb in an attempt to reset the timeline, we see Jack back on the original Oceanic 815 flight, which seems to be... not crashing, like it initially did. But not everything is the same as it was the first time around - the stewardess only gives him one bottle of vodka, not two, and this time, Jack is the one afraid of flying, not Rose. And then we see the biggest change, as the camera zooms into the ocean: the entire island, including the foot of the four-toed statue, is underwater.
So this means that detonating the bomb worked, right? Well, sort of. Because then we see the group back on the island, following the explosion - they're back in the present, and they're still on the island. And this is when it becomes clear that we're following two different time lines: one in which the plane didn't crash, and one where it did. Think of it as Sliding Doors, except there's no Gwyneth Paltrow (thank God).
It's an interesting and brave tack for Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse to take - on the one hand, it seems like they just couldn't decide which way to go, but on the other, if handled right, this new method of storytelling opens up a lot of new doors. We see that detonating the bomb has changed quite a few things about the original flight: Hurley is now the luckiest man in the world, Desmond is on the plane (since there's now no island for him to be stranded on), and while Charlie and Boone are there, too, Shannon is not. Kate's still a prisoner (though, as the Comic-Con footage showed, she didn't kill her stepfather), and now that she's in L.A., she carjacks a cab - with Claire inside! It will be interesting to see whether the crash was actually the better option for the characters. (Well, except for Boone. And Shannon. And anyone who died, really.) As long as there's some kind of plan for the two time lines to converge, or at least influence and be by each other, I'll be happy; if they simply run parallel with no intersection, then it will just seem lazy.
Meanwhile, Lost hasn't just abandoned all of its old stories. We get to see the aftermath of the bomb, and how Richard and Ben react to finding out that Locke is not really Locke, but the mysterious man in black from the Season 5 finale. This gives Terry O'Quinn some great material - he does evil very well - and it reveals that the man in black is actually the personification of the smoke monster. (I loved the exchange between Ben and NotLocke: "You're the monster." "Let's not resort to name-calling.") While there's still no reveal as to why Richard doesn't age, we do see that he's terrified of NotLocke, and that the last time NotLocke saw Richard, he was "in chains." (On the Black Rock, maybe?) But even though we still get to see original Locke in the new time line, I hope we get to see him on the island time line, too - it just seems too sad for him to go out the way he did. (NotLocke revealing that Locke's last thought was "I don't understand" just broke my heart.)
My only problem with the island storyline was the second death of Juliet. I know they brought back Elizabeth Mitchell because she was so beloved, but her death at the end of Season 5 was perfect and I thought her surviving the bomb, only to die in Sawyer's arms, dragged it out too long. (Of course, Juliet tells Sawyer that "it worked" and then she makes a comment about them meeting for coffee, so Mitchell's appearance at least suggested that the time lines have some connection to each other.)
So after Jacob's ghost appears to Hurley, he, Kate, Jack, Sawyer and Miles take Sayid's dying body to the temple - where there are Others. Other Others. Cindy and the missing children are a part of them, and they take Sayid's body inside the temple and into a spring to, they hope, save his life. But it doesn't work and Sayid dies (or DOES HE?!), and soon that's all forgotten, because when the Other Others find out that Jacob is dead, they start freaking out, knowing NotLocke will soon be upon them. But soon that is forgotten, too, as Sayid sits up, apparently not dead after all. Or IS IT Sayid?! (A popular theory is that Jacob is now reincarnated in Sayid's body - and unlike Locke's sad death, I wouldn't be that gutted if the character of Sayid is gone, replaced by Jacob-in-Sayid's Body. I love Naveen Andrews, but he'll still be around, while Sayid the character seems to have run his course.)
A fantastic premiere that ensured I'll be tuning in every week - even with only one or two questions answered (what happened when the bomb went off and whether the man in black was also the smoke monster), it was a very satisfying episode that proves that Lindelof and Cuse aren't pulling any punches in the final season. Here's a great Q&A with Lindelof and Cuse where they talk about where Season 6 is going.
What did you guys think of the Lost premiere?
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Posted
Feb 02 2010, 02:07 PM
by
KATV
with no comments
Well, that was one boring episode of The Bachelor - and considering this is Jake we're talking about, that's really saying something.
Now that the road trip is over (thank goodness) and everyone's in San Francisco, it's one-on-one dates for everybody! Well, almost everybody. Because four boring dates is fine; five would be too much. (Actually, I don't know why I'm complaining about that.)
Date No. 1 went to Tenley, and wow, having several segments focusing on Tenley makes it really obvious that she has the most annoying, squeaky voice in the history of the world. I can't even tell you whether I like her or not, because she's so bubbly and so high-pitched that I had to look away. It's no longer surprising that Tenley played Disney princesses, because I think she secretly is one. "High"lights of the date included Jake saying that San Francisco's Chinatown was like being in a foreign country (does he listen to himself when he talks?) and Tenley sneaking "Kiss me!" fortunes into fortune cookies. But her cunning plan worked, because she and Jake made out for, like, THREE HOURS, and please kill me because the sound people recording every disgusting smack of the lips. Blech. Oh, by the way, guys, did you know that Tenley's divorced? And that her husband cheated on her? And that she's only slept with that one guy? Maybe they should mention it EVERY TWO SECONDS.
Then there's the two-on-one date, except it's even lamer, because it's not the kind of two-on-one where Jake eliminates one of the girls during the date. Because why keep the only thing that keeps those dates interesting when you can just bore everyone for 20 minutes? After Corrie (who?) fakes everyone out by telling them that Ali and Vienna are going on the date, Vienna and Gia head out to a winery that features a castle. Oh, and first, "Jake" sends them a chest full of clothes, and Vienna talks about how sweet it was of him to do that, as if Jake really had anything to do with it. Does she think Jake actually sets up the tables where they eat dinner? That he's actually friends with the creative director at Style magazine? Moron. This date was chock-full of "What show do you think you're on?" moments, with both Gia and Vienna talking about how hard it is to see him with other girls (Count: 1 and 2), and Vienna continuing to call Jake her boyfriend. Her boyfriend who is dating four other women (Count: 3). Gia and Jake made out a bunch (lay off the lip sounds, show!) and grossed me out like crazy. The three stayed overnight at the winery, with Jake in his own room, and Vienna made herself seem super desperate and inconsiderate (you don't say!) when she "sneaked" into his room to try to make out. Jake, awesomely, told her to get lost. If only he'd do that permanently. (I may not agree with the girls being mean to Vienna, but I still think she sucks.)
Oh, blech, almost forgot: at one point, Vienna said, "I'm my daddy's princess, and now I'm Jake's queen." THAT IS NOT SOMETHING YOU SAY, even ironically. Have I mentioned that I hate everyone on this show?
Date No. 3 finally went to Corrie (who?), and this is when we find out that Corrie is saving herself for marriage. And if you couldn't figure it out already, this is when you should have known she was a goner. Because no matter how much Jake says he respects her beliefs, there is no Bachelor or Bachelorette who is going to get engaged on this show without "sampling the merchandise," as it were. And nobody wants to deflower someone on national television, especially if there's a good shot the newly-devirginized person is going to get dumped later. And geez, could Corrie have worse chemistry with Jake? (Well, nobody has good chemistry with Jake -- it's like flirting with a plastic bag -- but Corrie was extra bad.)
Finally, Ali got the last one-on-one date, and since she's from San Francisco, she showed him to all his favourite spots. Now, remember last week, when Ali was all pissed that Vienna was still there, and Ali vowed to scold Jake about his choices? What big promises, and what little follow-through. Jake confronted her about hating Vienna, and Ali was all, "Uh... Yeah, I'm totally over it now! For realsies!" Wow, way to tell him, Ali. You are a force to be reckoned with. Oh, and Ali? Straddling a dude in a public park is really not cool. I've had to see that in real life, and ugh, uncomfortable.
Bored yet? Yeah. Now imagine watching the whole thing.
The Rose Ceremony went as expected: Tenley, Ali, Gia and Vienna get roses, and Corrie (who?) gets dumped. Shocker. Corrie is completely hammered in the limo, which is hilarious, and she's ranting about how she just doesn't get why it didn't work out. Because Jake didn't want your first time to be on TV, especially since he didn't like you that much anyway. She says she doesn't do well when dating a guy who is simultaneously dating other women. "What show do you think you're on?" Count: 4.
Next week: hometown dates! Awkward conversations with family! And, for the FIRST TIME EVER, there's no Rose Ceremony. Or something. I guarantee it will be less exciting than it sounds, and it sounds pretty dull.
Bachelorette I Love (This Week): I still know nothing about Corrie, but her drunken limo interview was awesome. Keep shlurring thosh wordsh, Corrie.
Bachelorette I Hate (This Week): Ali toned down her Bitchelorette attitude this week, which highlighted just how annoying Vienna really is. JAKE IS NOT YOUR BOYFRIEND, VIENNA. Good lord.
What did you guys think?
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Posted
Feb 01 2010, 04:18 PM
by
KATV
with no comments
-- I thought Shonda Rhimes already confirmed this, but good, she's doing it again: on Grey's Anatomy, Derek and Meredith are never breaking up ever again, ever. Now, if only they'd get rid of Katherine Heigl for good.
-- I am so, so psyched that Parks and Recreation is getting a third season, because I need Ron F*cking Swanson on my television. It's bad enough that the show is only on once a week. However, I'm not sure how I feel about the news that Andy Samberg is going to guest star...
-- This article posits that shows like Teen Mom actually make young girls want to get pregnant. Anybody who watches Teen Mom and comes away thinking, "Wow, having a baby in my teens is a totally fun thing that I would like to do" is clearly missing the point. Hell, it makes me want to get my tubes tied.
-- As a stand-up comedy fan, I love me some Jim Gaffigan, so I love The Onion AV Club even more than I already do for interviewing him.
-- Glee is apparently making Fox a lot of money. Shocker.
-- What did you guys think of the Dollhouse finale? I thought it was good, though it felt a little rushed. (I know Topher is crazy smart, but every time he needs to invent some incredibly complicated device, he manages to do it in about five minutes. Not that realism is what Dollhouse really goes for, but come on.) I did tear up at Topher's death, I was happy to see Priya and Tony get together, and it would good to see Bennett and Alpha come back (however briefly) but I honestly didn't care about Paul's sudden death or his "reunion" with Echo at the end. I don't know if it was the writing or if it was Tahmoh Penikett's acting, but the Echo/Paul relationship was never Dollhouse's strong point. Anyway, here's a good breakdown of the finale.
-- No more talk of the Jay/Conan fiasco, I promise, but here's a clip from back when Conan hosted Late Night that made me snort with laughter in the office today:
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Posted
Jan 27 2010, 01:45 PM
by
KATV
with 2 comment(s)
We're back with another TV Casualty podcast! This week, Jeevan Brar and I discuss the sad end of Jersey Shore, why Rob Lowe took this long to quit Brothers and Sisters, whether Shonda Rhimes should create yet another medical drama and why we're happy Lost is returning next week.
Listen to the podcast below, or click on the link to download the mp3. Oh, and also, you can now subscribe to the TV Casualty Podcast on iTunes! Click here to subscribe, or click the link at the top of this blog.
TV Casualty Podcast, Ep. 2: Shoot a b*tch in the tropics (Download mp3)
Subscribe to the TV Casualty Podcast on iTunes
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Posted
Jan 26 2010, 02:02 PM
by
KATV
with 5 comment(s)
Oh, mean girls. Is there anything more fun to watch? You know, other than everything? Ali continued to be the Queen Bitchelorette this week, embodying almost everything she says she hates about Vienna. Talking shit about other girls? Check. Manipulating group situations so she gets more time with Jake? Check. Pot, kettle, etc.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. The bachelorettes went on a road trip on two giant RVs this week (leaving the Bachelor mansion FOREVER! SHOCK! GASP!), and Kathryn proved her IQ is in the single digits with her comment, "I was excited to see the RVs because I knew that meant we were going somewhere." Nobel Prize, here she comes. We're informed that there will be a one-on-one date, a group date and then a two-on-one date - the last one causes plenty of upset, because in a two-on-one date, one girl definitely goes home. The horror!
"What show do you think you're on?" Count: 1.
Pulling into a big vineyard, the girls pile out, only to discover that Gia got the one-on-one date. She and Jake decide to play Hide and Seek in the vineyard - which is possibly the worst place to play Hide and Seek, since there is nothing big enough to hide behind. Oh, but silly me, this was all an excuse for Gia to tackle Jake and then make out with him for a while. And then they play Spin the Bottle. Seriously. No, I don't get it, either. But Jake can't resist Gia, especially when she talks about how she wants to have two kids, and then adopt one from China - gosh, she's so family minded! Naturally, she gets a rose.
On the group date, which includes Vienna, Ali, Corrie, Ashleigh, Jessie and Tenley, everybody rides some dune buggies. Ali immediately calls shotgun with Jake - and who wants to bet that if Vienna had done the same thing, Ali would have bitched about it? Vienna talked about how much she hated watching her "boyfriend" play around with other girls.
"What show do you think you're on?" count: 2.
The group date was hugely boring - except for when Ashleigh embarrasses herself by practically climbing on Jake, and when Vienna tells Jake she wants the final one-on-one time that night, which makes Jake tell her she's kind of inviting on some of the bad attention.
And then! The "shocking" two-on-one date with Ella and Kathryn, in which he sent both of them home! SHOCK! GASP! Jake seemed to think Ella would be better off going home to her son (because people with kids are incapable of loving anyone else, obviously), and then he realized that Kathryn is completely vacant. "We had really good conversation. I was excited to see where that would go," Kathryn said. Dude, you spent, like, ten minutes with each other over the course of the entire show. And the most interesting thing about you is that you have a fake engagement ring for a fake fiance. Hope your fake wedding is a blast!
And then we finally get to the Rose Ceremony, which happens far earlier than usual, so if you hadn't already seen the promos with Jake pretending to freak out, you know something's about to go down. He calls Ali, Corrie and Tenley, and then does the fakest "I'm so tortured" face and excuses himself to ask Chris Harrison if he has to give out two more roses.
OK, you know why this moment is completely fake? Because Jake was clearly aware of how important suspense is on this show and excused himself from the rose ceremony at the right time to keep the suspense up. If this were truly a spur-of-the-moment thing, he would have given out the second-to-last rose and then excused himself to ask if he really had to give out one more. But if he did that, then there'd be no suspense as to who was staying and who was going, and we can't have that, can we? Plus, Jake's not a good actor, period. Pathetic.
So Jake gives out the final rose to Vienna - SHOCK! GASP! - sending Jessie (no surprise) and Ashleigh (no surprise) home. In her exit interview, Jessie made even less of an impression than she did during the rest of the show, but Ashleigh was sad and angry that Jake would rather keep Vienna around than her. Well, maybe talking crap about her and then throwing yourself at the guy wasn't the best strategy? Just a thought. Ashleigh also believes she's the most mature girl in the house, and then goes on to bash Vienna. Oh, the self-delusion.
Now, apparently, Ali is going to have "a conversation [with Jake] he'd never expect" about why he's keeping Vienna around, as if it's any of her business.
"What show do you think you're on?" count: 3. Lower than I expected, but still pretty impressive, especially considering that Vienna actually thinks Jake is her boyfriend at this point, even though there are still many other girls competing for him.
Bachelorette I Love (This Week): Ugh, do I have to pick one? They're all awful.
Bachelorette I Hate (This Week): Listen, Ali, if you're so certain that you're right for Jake, who cares why Vienna's still around? You should be happy he sent home more girls than usual - it means your odds are better. Second, you're only making yourself look worse. If you're not careful, you're going to take up permanent residence as the bachelorette I hate every single week.
What did you guys think?
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Posted
Jan 22 2010, 03:06 PM
by
KATV
with 5 comment(s)
Katherine Heigl made her "triumphant" return to Grey's Anatomy last night, and I don't think it's a surprise that it was one of the more infuriating episodes in recent months.
Since Heigl took a break from the show to make a movie (please let it be The Ugly Truth 2, oh, please), it seems like Shonda Rhimes and the rest of the writers got their groove back, presenting actually compelling story lines that have nothing to do with Izzie harping on everyone. For some reason, it seems like whenever Heigl comes back (she made a one-off guest spot a couple of months ago), Rhimes seems to lose her mind when it comes to every character, making them all act like judgmental, illogical jerks.
Take the major Meredith/Derek conflict from last night: Derek wants to tell the board that the Chief is drinking again, while Meredith claims that she confided to her husband about that, not Dr. Shepherd. When Derek eventually tells the board anyway, Mer accuses him of doing it solely to advance his own career, which he doesn't deny; he does say that the only reason she didn't want to tell was because the Chief was letting her into surgeries. Why was no one bringing up how terrible it is to have a Chief of Medicine who is drunk all the time? Derek briefly mentioned this to Owen earlier on, but he didn't point this out to Meredith at all. Whether or not he gets promoted, Derek had a responsibility to tell the board about the Chief's drinking, and that trumps any Post-It marriage, and for Meredith to not even consider that is insulting to both the audience and the character.
Then, both Mark and Lexie were tortured all episode because they each slept with someone else during their breakup. When Mark confesses his transgression, Lexie is relieved and admits hers, too - but according to Mark, oh, her actions are so much worse than his. Because he was in pain and he was worried about his daughter, so that means he gets judged by a different standard than Lexie. "I can't even look at you right now," he says as he's essentially slut-shaming her. Listen, Mark, you were both in pain, and just because she dumped you is no reason to believe she was in less pain than you were. There's no higher ground here, no matter how hard you try to find one.
To give Rhimes credit, the Izzie and Alex scenes last night were handled realistically - well, from Alex's end, anyway. Izzie spends most of the episode telling Alex about how she can get a job at a hospital in Tacoma and they can work on their marriage. When her latest cancer tests shows she's no longer dying, Alex is relieved and happy, but he tells her that this makes him realize that he's able to weather bad times and that he deserves to be with someone who won't just take off when things get bad. Fantastic acting by Justin Chambers in this scene; that's not the issue. The problem is that Izzie is still an inherently selfish character, as it seems like it never even occurred to her that the husband she left wouldn't want her back - and she's completely shocked when she's turned down. Granted, this is true to Izzie as a character, but she still drags down the entire show.
As usual, the bright spots of the episode were the Owen/Christina and the Callie/Arizona storylines - the latter was very cute, with Arizona realizing that when you love someone, even chicken pox can be sexy. And Owen continued to be totally awesome, even after he found out that Christina would give him up to become a better surgeon, he told her that he'd fight for her and that he wouldn't let her get rid of him. This kind of man does not exist in real life, but frankly, I don't care.
So now the Chief's out, and Derek told Meredith that he'd hire Izzie back on, though now that she's split from Alex, it's not clear whether she'll stay. I hope she doesn't, because Grey's Anatomy is so much better when she's gone.
What did you guys think?
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Posted
Jan 21 2010, 11:56 AM
by
KATV
with 1 comment(s)
As a special treat for you TV Casualty readers, I've started a weekly podcast with the very awesome Jeevan Brar of the TV Watercooler blog. Here's episode 1, in which we discuss the Golden Globes (verdict: disappointing), what the big deal is about Chuck (Jeevan loves it, I think it's just OK) and how tired we are of the whole Leno/Conan debacle.
With any luck, the podcast will go up on iTunes in the future, but for now, you can listen to it below, or download the mp3. Enjoy!
Download mp3 of TV Casualty, Ep. 1: Sue Sylvester could eat Nicky Grant for breakfast.
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Posted
Jan 19 2010, 01:49 PM
by
KATV
with 9 comment(s)
I'm nowhere near a Jake Pavelka fan, but even I was impressed while watching last night's Bachelor when I saw him get rid of the two most ridiculous, game-playing women in the house. Way to go, Jake! You may not have a personality, but at least you have balls.
What I love/hate about The Bachelor (more so than The Bachelorette) is that the women are just horrible to each other, and this was never more obvious than it was last night, when every woman in the house started getting pissy that Vienna got the one-on-one date and didn't get sent home. Leading the charge was Ali, who was so cute last week but suddenly turned into the Grand Bitch of The Bachelor - first saying that Jake taking another woman on a one-on-one date felt like a "betrayal" (I say this every week, but WHAT SHOW DO YOU THINK YOU'RE ON?) and then spending the rest of the episode bullying Vienna. Way to quickly squander any goodwill you'd earned last week, Ali.
Ali continued this on the group date, as all the women decided to spend the entire evening bashing Vienna to Jake, even though he clearly wished they'd choose another topic. (Don't even get me started on the stand-up "comedy" and Jon Lovitz and ugh, I'm going into convulsions just thinking about it.) Ali even tried to make a Vienna-bashing "pact" with the other girls on the date - YOU ARE A GROWN WOMAN, NOT A MIDDLE-SCHOOL MEAN GIRL. God. Ali was so out of control that Michelle - crazy, possessive, ridiculous Michelle - became the voice of reason, pointing out that when she talked to Jake, she'd only be talking about herself, not Vienna.
But, surprise, surprise, Michelle then acted totally crazy with Jake, talking about how badly she wants a husband - and I think we've found the crux of Michelle's problem. It's not that she wants Jake; she just wants to get married, period, and she is completely unable to handle her sense of desperation. And she assumes that if Jake wants to get married, he must feel the exact same way she does (sorry, honey, but nope) and therefore tells him how horrible it is to see him with other girls and how she needs his attention, like, ALL THE TIME, NOW NOW NOW. As if that weren't bad enough, she then basically forces him to kiss her, and after Jake politely obliges (probably because he couldn't see a way out of it), Michelle replies, "Is that all you've got?" Oh, Michelle. Don't act all desperate and then make fun of how a dude kisses. Then Michelle tells Jake she's thinking of leaving, but will stay if he wants her to - which is her code for, "I want to stay, but you need to pay way more attention to me and stop talking to other girls, because I don't know what show I'm on."
And, to give Jake credit, he calls her bluff and says, "I think it would be best if you did leave." Since Michelle is crazy, she is shocked - SHOCKED! - that her bluff has been called and is completely heartbroken. Hey, don't give an ultimatum if you're not prepared for the answer you don't want.
Jake further impressed me at the cocktail party, when he totally called Elizabeth on her "you can't kiss me, but I'm going to act all hot and bothered about doing you, but you still can't kiss me, but don't you want me? I know you do but you can't kiss me" shtick. Last week, it seemed like her stupid Rules attitude was working, but luckily, Jake realized he had plenty of women who weren't going to play these kinds of games with him and set her loose. Elizabeth was completely flummoxed by this, and I'm not surprised - she probably uses this tactic all the time, and it probably works so often that she doesn't even realize that she's being ridiculous. Even at the end, Elizabeth thought that Jake's concern was because he just wanted to kiss her - she just couldn't understand that no, that's not the problem; the problem is that you're more concerned with keeping control than in actually forming a relationship with Jake (or as much of a relationship as you can on this show). The poor, deluded woman even justified her actions by saying she could totally have been married by now, but she's very selective, and that Jake shouldn't forget that she's choosing him.
I think from now on, we'll have to keep a tally of "What show do you think you're on?" moments, to see how many women forget that they are actually competing with these other women and that Jake will date all of them, because that is the entire point of the show, and they really have no say in how the show will end. You have no power in this situation, ladies, and that's what you signed up for. Get used to it.
Jake also sent Valishia home, but we saw nothing of her, so... don't care.
Bachelorette I Love (This Week): Nobody really stood out as awesome this week, but I did feel bad for Vienna getting picked on. But with all that animosity toward her, it seems likely that the editors just didn't show any of her bad behaviour in order to garner sympathy for her.
Bachelorette I Hate (This Week): Oh, Ali, the bitchface doesn't look good on you. She's practically terrorizing Vienna because she knows the other women will back her up, but she comes off looking like a ridiculous, jealous fool.
What'd you think of last night's episode? Are you glad to see Elizabeth gone? Do you think Ali was justified in telling off Vienna? Or do you think Vienna is the victim? Post your thoughts in the comments.
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Posted
Jan 18 2010, 03:35 PM
by
KATV
with 2 comment(s)
I have to hand it to Joss Whedon - even though Dollhouse has been cancelled, he's done a pretty good job of wrapping things up in an unexpected way. The only problem is that I'm not sure if I buy it.
Last week's revelation that Boyd is the head of Rossum was certainly a big shocker, especially to fans who had grown to love the loving dynamic between him and Echo; recognizing this, Whedon spent much of "The Hollow Men" trying to explain how Boyd could have spent the entire run of the show protecting Echo but still not have her best interests at heart. The episode shows us that Rossum had been keeping tabs on Caroline for a while, even looking at her medical records that indicate something special about her biological makeup. When Caroline became a doll, Boyd actively encouraged her to resist her imprints because he knew that, as the imprinting technology developed, it would eventually be used as a weapon - and somehow, Caroline's body (or, more specifically, her spinal fluid - ew) could be used to create a vaccine against it. And, he admitted in a very creepy way, he'd grown to love many of the other Dollhouse staff and wanted them on his side when the Dollhouse apocalypse came. (Except, hilariously, for Paul. "I never understood what you guys saw in him," Boyd says. Ha!)
Not to take away from Henry Lennix's performance - he was fantastic in this episode - but no matter how much justification Whedon supplied in this episode, it just didn't ring true. It's great when shows catch us off guard with a reveal, but only if the revelation makes sense in retrospect. The Boyd we've known for the last two seasons just isn't capable of this - and while this could be handwaved away by saying, "Oh, he's a genius mastermind who's just really good at covering his tracks and manipulating people," it's hard to shake the feeling that Whedon just wanted something, anything, that would surprise the viewers, whether it made sense or not.
Granted, once you get past this unbelievable plot twist, the acting was incredible - even from Dushku, who has thrived since Dollhouse moved away from the "personality of the week" storylines. After Topher turned Boyd into a doll, Dushku played both heartbreak and determination perfectly as Echo handed Boyd a grenade and told him to stand in the Rossum control centre and pull the pin once she was gone. A sad end to a beloved character, but if you accept that he was the bad guy (which, I guess we have to), it was really the only way for him to go.
We also got an ending to the Paul/Mellie storyline, which was less effective simply because Mellie hasn't been around very much and Paul is, well, not that interesting. (Beautiful? Yes. Humourless and kind of a buzzkill? Totally.) I know I was supposed to feel something as she overcame her sleeper programming, and then again when she killed herself instead of risking hurting Paul, but this storyline just felt like something the writers had to wrap up instead of something they really wanted to focus on.
Overall, though, a very good episode -- and although it looked like Echo defeated Rossum, we see at the end that in ten years, the apocalypse is still going on. That'll be the focus of the series finale, "Epitaph Two," which airs Jan. 29.
Other highlights:
-- As a special treat for fans, we got to see Enver Gjokaj do his awesome Topher impression yet again - seriously, it's so eerie. How does he do that?
-- The creepy look on Boyd's face as he explained to everyone why he brought them along on his evil ride. "Because you guys are my family!" he said in a perfectly creepy way that also showed that he was baffled as to why they doubted him.
-- Amy Acker totally rocked that power suit, and she embodied the other evil Rossum head honcho perfectly. (While I didn't really care for Acker on Angel, the more I see of her on Dollhouse, the more I wish the show had made her the main character.) And her fight with Echo was pretty bad-ass.
What did you guys think of "The Hollow Men"? Did you buy Boyd as the bad guy? How do you think Dollhouse will end in "Epitaph Two"? Post your thoughts in the comments below.
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Posted
Jan 12 2010, 02:52 PM
by
KATV
with 3 comment(s)
Last night, we finally saw the scandal that rocked the world of romance forever.
Except not really. In fact, it was infuriatingly vague.
In case you missed it, at the cocktail party, Chris Harrison took Rozlyn aside to inform her that they knew about her "inappropriate relationship" with one of the Bachelor producers and, as such, he'd been fired and Rozlyn would have to leave. Rozlyn did a piss-poor job of defending herself (even saying "my personal life isn't anyone's business," like, what show do you think you're on?), but considering the carefully-worded language used by Harrison, it's pretty clear that "inappropriate relationship" and "you crossed a line" does not mean what the Bachelor wants us to think it means.
According to RealitySteve.com, what happened was this: Rozlyn has a 7-year-old son, and producers told her that not only could she talk to him every day, but they'd fly him down for one of her dates with Jake. But Rozlyn's ex refused to sign the release papers to let the kid on the show, at which point the producers became uninterested in letting Rozlyn talk to her kid. Rozlyn was upset and turned to one of the producers for comfort, and that producer ended up falling for her. Confronted about it, the producer admitted he had feelings for Rozlyn, and he was fired - and the rest of the producers decided Rozlyn had to go, too, since she was already really pissed off at the show anyway.
Of course, Harrison denies that this is the whole story.
"It was an inappropriate relationship that got physical," he wrote on his EW blog today. "This was not
just about one person’s 'feelings' for another. We would never go to
such extremes because of a schoolyard crush. After extensive research
and doing our homework we came to the conclusion without a shadow of a
doubt that an inappropriate relationship had occurred."
But again, this is so vague! What do they consider a "physical relationship"? A hug? A kiss on the cheek? Horizontal mambo?
Harrison also implies that Rozlyn and the ex-producer kept dating after they left the show - but he doesn't exactly say that: "I can also tell you here that since Rozlyn left the show sheand the
staffer have continued their relationship and have seen each other
several times."
Again, if Rozlyn and the producer were just friends and kept hanging out, platonically, after the show, that sentence would still be 100 per cent accurate, but Harrison knows that's not how people will take it.
The weirdest part was seeing Boring Jake act all betrayed and hurt by this, as if he's not macking on tons of other girls - as if that's not the entire point of the show. Until there's a firm commitment, I don't see why any of these girls owe him anything, especially when he's the one gallavanting around, being boring and making stupid airplane puns all the time.
Bachelorette I Love, This Week: Michelle. Yes, I know, she's completely crazy and ridiculous, but she makes for great television. She's so possessive and obsessive with Jake, and she acts all shocked that he would date other girls - again, as if that's not the entire point of the show. But it's hilarious to see her slowly unravel, and I love her for it.
Bachelorette I Hate, This Week: Ugh, shut up, Elizabeth. Her whole "You can't kiss me, but I'm going to make sexy face at you until you can't stand it, but I still won't let you kiss me because I read The Rules, dammit" shtick was so desperate and obvious. I hope she and her bad boob job go home soon.
What'd you guys think of this episode? What do you think happened with Rozlyn and the producer? Do you think Michelle will become completely unhinged next week? Do you hope Elizabeth gets hit in the face somehow? Post your thoughts in the comments.
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Posted
Jan 11 2010, 02:28 PM
by
KATV
with no comments
Friday’s episode of Dollhouse was suspenseful and shocking enough that now, I’m even sadder that Fox cancelled it just as it hit its stride. Granted, it took Dollhouse almost two seasons to get to this point, so Fox can’t entirely be blamed.
As Echo and her rag-tag group of misfits plan to take down Rossum, the first step is getting Caroline’s memories back into Echo’s head, since she’s the only one of them to actually meet the head of the Rossum corporation. Unfortunately, this turns out to be far more complicated, since her imprints are gone and/or damaged. Luckily, this means going to Washington, kidnapping Bennett (yay, Summer Glau!) and bringing her back to reconstruct the damaged Caroline imprint. Considering Bennett hates Caroline, she doesn’t warm to this idea right away, but when Echo says she’ll let Bennett do whatever she wants to Caroline (in a violent way, not a sexual way, you sickos), Bennett comes around.
This leads to a flashback in which we find out exactly why Bennett hates Caroline so much. We see that Caroline infiltrated the Dollhouse and found files on both her and Bennett; she then befriended Bennett in an effort to get information. But when Bennett finds out, she’s not angry – in fact, she wants to help Caroline take down Rossum. When their plan to blow up the Dollhouse goes wrong, Bennett’s arm is hurt and Caroline does, indeed, leave her there – but we also see that it’s because Caroline tends to take the fall.
This flashback was a really good idea on behalf of the writers, since the version of Caroline we saw in Season 1 was boring and completely unlikeable. She’s unlikeable in this episode to, but this time it’s intentional. Terrorist Caroline is a far more compelling character than Animal Rights Activist Caroline, and it’s easy to see why Echo would be so reluctant to let the former back into her head.
Meanwhile, DeWitt is restoring and releasing every one of the actives (which includes a very brief cameo by Eliza Dushku’s real-life boyfriend, Rick Fox), and Boyd decides to bring in someone who can help them – it’s Whiskey! She’s back! And it turns out she and Boyd have been playing house for quite sometime! Awesome.
So Bennett and Topher work on Caroline’s imprint, and of course they’re very into each other and make several awkward, amusing comments to one another. That sound you heard around 8:45 p.m. last Friday, was millions of fans screaming with joy when the two finally made out.
Oh, except that Whiskey then shows up and totally shoots Bennett in the head! I may be alone in this, but I actually yelled, “HOLY CRAP!” at my television when this happened. R.I.P., Bennett. You were weird and unstable, but you were cute with Topher, who I usually don't even like. DeWitt figures out that Whiskey must have been picked up by Rossum corporation soon after she escaped the Dollhouse last fall and been turned into a sleeper agent. Poor Boyd.
Some baddies from Rossum infiltrate the L.A. Dollhouse, and are quickly shot and killed by Boyd. Sadly, this means he has to escape and go into hiding, leaving poor Whiskey alone (sharp-eyed viewers will remember this scene from “Epitaph One”).
Topher pushes his grief aside to finish Caroline’s imprint and puts it back into Echo’s head. And that’s when there’s the big reveal: Caroline was sent to meet the head of Rossum, who appears to be a nerdy, mild-mannered gentleman we’ve never seen before. Oh, except that he has a partner: Boyd. BOYD! That sound you heard at around 8:58 p.m. last Friday was millions of fans screaming out in disbelief.
Oh, Boyd, say it ain’t so. But, sadly, it looks like it has to be so: he was living with Whiskey, so clearly was the one to turn her into a sleeper agent, and he’s the only character whose backstory has remained untold.
We’re "getting closer" the end of the season (get it?!), and I’m both impatient to see what happens and sad to see it all come to a close. What did you guys think of this episode?
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Posted
Jan 08 2010, 02:15 PM
by
KATV
with 1 comment(s)
By now, everyone and their hamster has heard the rumours about NBC screwing over Conan O’Brien by moving Jay Leno to the 11:35 p.m. slot. And, much like everyone else, I think NBC’s decision is simply bonkers.
As fate would have it, I read The Late Shift over the holidays, which chronicles NBC’s previous over-screwing of David Letterman when they chose Jay Leno for the Tonight Show. Even back in 1992, NBC was worried that although they had given Leno the job, his audience skewed older. They even offered to fire Leno and give Letterman the job at one point, but their deal was such crap that Letterman left for CBS – but not without dealing with plenty of petty manipulation from the peacock execs.
And now, here we are, all over again. NBC is reportedly telling Conan he’ll be pushed back to 12:05, or he can leave the network – but, of course, they still have the power to keep him off the air for two years (at a bargain of a price: $25 million). The bottom line: Conan got screwed.
First off, what makes NBC think Leno will work again at 11:35? He hasn’t been funny at 10 p.m., and yes, his ratings were higher when he was on later, but that was back when NBC had actual shows at 10 p.m. that could provide a decent lead-in. Furthermore, Leno’s audience is even older now than it was when he started hosting the Tonight Show in 1992, and it's only going to get older.
But sure, they’re crying about the ratings and they want to fix it. Because apparently they forgot that once Letterman started the Late Show, Leno lost to him in the ratings for two years. So even though Leno had been pretty much a rookie at the time, NBC gave him the benefit of the doubt, Conan, who had 16 years at Late Night before starting the Tonight Show, doesn't even get a full year of support from NBC.
Mostly, though, I’m wondering what the heck Leno is thinking. The entire reason he handed the Tonight Show reigns over to Conan was because Leno regretted how the whole Letterman debacle went down, and he didn’t want to be responsible for another talented comedian being elbowed out of the network. But now he doesn’t mind so much?
NBC has made mistake after mistake this television season – to the point that I almost miss the days of Ben Silverman. At least he was interested in making television instead of just keeping a hack comedian on the air at any cost.
I hope that NBC lets Conan leave the network and immediately start another show elsewhere, because in no way does he deserve to be demoted in such a ridiculous, underhanded manner. I’d suggest that the Jeff Zucker and the rest of his NBC yes-men get their heads out of their asses, but I think we all know by now that that isn’t an option.
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Posted
Jan 06 2010, 03:46 PM
by
KATV
with 2 comment(s)
Let’s get this out of the way: by no means is Jersey Shore a good show. The reality series clearly wants its audience to laugh at its cast of Italian stereotypes and relishes any and every opportunity to show the vivacious 20-somethings getting drunk, fighting and “accidentally” flashing their boobs to the camera.
But what MTV didn’t anticipate is that, underneath their ridiculous behaviour and terrible nicknames, the cast is actually quite endearing. Most young people who end up on an MTV reality show don’t seem to know the difference between confidence and arrogance; the Jersey Shore kids, however, are genuinely comfortable with themselves, flaws and all.
Unlike almost any other MTV series, the cast of Jersey Shore is surprisingly loyal to one another. The group seemed to really bond after housemate Snooki infamously got punched at a bar, and since then, they’ve stood up for each other in ways that most people have never experienced. Last week, JWoww (yes, that is her actual nickname) got in a fight with a girl who called Snooki fat – and, in order to spare Snooki’s feelings, JWoww told her that the girl had been mocking their entire group. Violence is never the answer, but JWoww’s desire to protect her friend is impressive, even if she was wearing a corset and acid-washed jeans at the time.
And while the Jersey Shore cast is surely playing things up in order to get attention (Snooki is reportedly vying for her own reality show), they’re still among the most unself-conscious people on television. The wild antics of contestants on shows like Rock of Love or Big Brother reek of underlying insecurity; not so with the Jersey Shore kids, who seem completely happy with their identities. You won’t see anyone on the Real World enjoying themselves as much as the cast of Jersey Shore, and the Real World is worse off for it.
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Posted
Jan 04 2010, 03:36 PM
by
KATV
with no comments
It seems like the last season of The Biggest Loser only ended last month, doesn’t it? Well, actually, it did, but the bigwigs at NBC aren’t going to let that stop them from shoving yet another installment onto the air on Tuesday (8 p.m., Citytv). And, once again, this season will prove that the show would be better off if it were titled Overweight People Crying.
The Biggest Loser continues to up the ante with its contestants’ weights, seeking out bigger and bigger people each round. Remember last season, how sad and shocking it was to see Shay clock in at 476 lbs.? She’s practically an Olsen twin compared to Season 9’s biggest contestant, Michael, whose starting weight is 526 lbs. I can only hope the producers learned their lesson from Season 8 and don’t make the players run a mile on their first day – nobody needs to see more people collapse and go to the hospital.
In fact, The Biggest Loser’s determination to find bigger contestants each season is a bit baffling. Sure, they want to change people’s lives and they’d like the credit for fixing an ostensibly hopeless case. But the bigger a contestant is to start out with, the less likely they are to reach their goal weight by the season finale – and that’s really the main reason I watch the show. That’s not to say I don’t feel any twinge of compassion for these people, but most of them need far more help – both mental and physical – than the Biggest Loser trainers could possibly provide. I want to be able to identify with the contestants, and in recent seasons, the Biggest Loser contestants have so many deep-seated personal issues that it makes it uncomfortable to watch.
Or, should I say, more uncomfortable to watch, since each two-hour episode is ridiculously padded with product placement and replaying of events that happened only a few minutes before. If you simply record the episode and fast-forward through all of those parts, The Biggest Loser is a 25 minute-long show, at best. It’s not like NBC has anything better to put in its schedule, but I just don't think I can make it through another season of this. Sorry, Biggest Loser, but I'm out.
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