Random Thoughts: TV Season So Far Edition

-I’ve been pleasantly surprised on all fronts. It has been a very strong season so far. All of the new shows that I decided to watch this year have been picked up for a full season and a lot of the shows that have struggled these past few years have come back with some great stories and new plots that are intriguing and well done. Not everything is perfect but I have been very excited about almost everything. I think this is the first time in a while where I am watching my tivo more than I am watching my DVDs and that usually doesn’t happen. Usually I am watching something on DVD and I get really far behind on my Now Playing list on tivo.

-Not everything is great though. I’ve decided to drop FlashForward. I gave it the benefit of the doubt after the second and third episode didn’t draw me in but after these last two I’ve decided I just can’t take anymore. The acting is awful, the plot is awful, and the show tries to be clever but something makes it so cheesy. It is really disappointing. This was one of my favorites way back during Upfronts cause the plot was great it just seems though that they didn’t know where to go from the beginning. I know it is picked up for a whole season but I could see this easily not being renewed. The most disappointing is Sonya Walger (Penny from Lost) who I really liked. She just isn’t bringing anything to the table and is actually really forgettable and I hate seeing her flashforward 12 times an episode.

-I’m not sure yet about Glee. I was ready to write it off after Acafellas. I think it has a pacing issue and my biggest problem is that the characters do not seem to evolve. Yes the plot moves forwards and the characters are put in different situations but by the end of every episode I feel like we are back right where we started. The fourth episode “Preggers” was probably the best episode and kept me coming back. The show was firing on all fronts with all of the plots intertwining with the real and fake pregnancies. However I slowly started to see the problems again especially in the weak and cheesy “Mash-Up” episode from last week. All of the lines were horrible and I actually felt embarrassed for a couple of the actors. As long as we get some good Jane Lynch quotes each week I am fine but this show is teetering between great and horrible.

-The Office, Desperate Housewives, and Parks and Recreation have all found some new creative energy over the summer. The Office has had some excellent episodes especially Niagra and The Lover. Desperate Housewives is also extremely strong this season after it fell apart last year. Everything from bringing Jessie Metcalf back to the great even if someone predictable plot with the new neighbors. Drea De Matteo is proving there is life left in this show. Plus Parks and Recreation might just be one of my new favorite shows. It had a rough few episodes last spring but ever since the finale and the onslaught of great episodes so far this season I might just reconsider not buying the DVD that came out…I just might get it.

-The shows on my bubble right now are Community, The Good Wife, The Cleveland Show, and Private Practice. Community just isn’t as strong as the other three shows so far. I like Joel McHale and I am by no means disappointed with the show but if I had to choose between Community and Modern Family for best new comedy it would have to be Modern Family. That right now is my favorite new show of the season. It is just extremely creative and funny. Community has its work cut out for it but I think I’ll continue to watch it. I don’t dislike it. Same goes with the other three. These aren’t shows I dislike but these aren’t the shows I am going to tell people to watch (last year I told people to watch Fringe and this year I told people to watch Modern Family).

30 Rock Season 4 Premiere “Season 4″

Not every episode is a hit but I still love 30 Rock. It is not only slick but it is my kind of humor. It is inane and quirky and even if I don’t think it is funny I appreciate that 30 Rock at least tries something different from your average comedy. I think the show has its work cut out for it in season four. It isn’t in its early trying to find its footing stages nor is it resting on the laurels of Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin impersonation from last year. It really has to stand on its own feet this year. This premiere wasn’t the strongest episode but it was a good introduction for new viewers as well as a decent reintroduction for its long-term viewers.

The page’s strike plot fell flat. I find time and time again that they try to put too much on Jack McBrayer’s plate and that he doesn’t have enough variety in his role to stay interesting from episode to episode. I really enjoyed the Pete and Liz plot. The running joke of horrible lies was hilarious and I think that the two of them really play off of each other well. I also really liked Steve Buscemi showing up. It is always great seeing a guest star that you love show up without knowing ahead of time. He didn’t do too much but since he is always good it didn’t really matter. Oddly enough I didn’t like the Jenna plot this episode and actually really liked the Tracey plot. The short little segment with Tracey trying to connect with people on the street was very funny.

What I really appreciated were the subtle jokes at Jay Leno and at the recession. 30 Rock doesn’t mind poking fun at NBC.

Not the strongest episode of 30 Rock but still a good episode because….well because it is 30 Rock.

Fringe Season 2 – Episode 5 “Dream Logic”

I am glad Sam Weiss is back. He has become the go to person for Olivia when she gets upset or doesn’t know what to do. I thought his project for her was actually sweet. It was a way for Olivia to feel just a little bit better by echoing what Charlie told her when they first met.  However it was a little weird because how was she able to put that sentence together at random? I think that has more to do with her ability as she continues to discover it.

The opening scene was very X-Files like. It actually reminded me of a specific X-Files episode where a man thinks his boss is this bug like thing and Mulder has to go inside the building. It had a bunch of flashes and quick cuts just like this episode with the demons in the office.  I do have to give credit to the CGI though because the guys eyes at the beginning was extremely surprising and uncomfortable to look at.

One of the best things about this episode was that we went to Seattle. We weren’t in New England or the surrounding area we went somewhere else. It was refreshing. In fact they did exactly what I suggested they should do way back last December. Keep Walter in the lab while Olivia and Peter go off somewhere and do some investigating.

I was a fan of Agent Kashner and hope he returns. He provided some great comic relief moments like trying to get Walter’s bags back and bailing out in time when Walter removed the surgical implant from the back of the man’s neck. It was also hilarious when Walter made him smell the raspberry concoction that made him pass out and Walter didn’t even give him a second look. I wasn’t that big of a fan of the Jekyll and Hyde plot. I didn’t think the man acting was that believable or very good. It seemed a bit of a cop-out. I guess it was better when just your average mad scientist but they needed a stronger actor in the part. I did like the idea that he was addicted to dreams but it fell kind of short overall.

Finally the whole dream sequence at the end of Peter lying in bed and waking up when Walter stole him was creepy. Yes, it was the moment that Walter took him because take a close look at the wall…Challenger Mission 11? That didn’t happen, maybe in Alternate World but not in our world. Peter is going to find out soon that he isn’t from our world….

Fringe Season 2 – Episode 4 “Momentum Deferred”

Another strong episode from Fringe. It was much needed after the last two. They went deep into the mythology and finally told us what happened with Olivia when she went to the other Universe. Plus it was Charlie’s last episode… and well I was curious about what they were going to do with him. They kind of wrote him into a corner but they made him really interesting. Yes they could have kept him around but this was a good and easy way to write him out. Now I remember from last June, Kirk Acevedo wrote on his facebook that he was pissed that he had been fired from the show, and one of the producers stepped in saying he wasn’t fired. Well I would say he was written off, not fired and if you are in a show like this you have got to expect that could happen to you at any moment. Plus lets not forget that Charlie was the most boring character last year. Plus I like that they are bringing the Fringe division more underground and with Charlie they couldn’t because he was so involved in the FBI.

So sorry to see Charlie go but he had an excellent final episode and a great little arc here at the end of the show. I was very pleased with it and he should be happy. He did a great job with his acting. Plus I loved his scene where he drank the mercury, he looked like he was struggling and coping and trying to stay alive. It just looked really good.

I also really liked Brandon, the dorky lab guy who was helping Nina and Olivia with the shapeshifting device. It was a quick little scene but this guy stole it. He was flirty and quirky and really made a character with what he was given. I also really liked the relationship between Walter and his old fling he used in his experiment to see beyond the limits of vision. The two had a really good chemistry. You could see that the two of them had a history with one another. She was also just great and gung-ho. I hope we will get to see more of her because she did an excellent job. I also loved her final scene with Peter, she clearly realized that he was from the other world and not her own world.

Now the most interesting scene was the flashback to Olivia and William’s reunion. From what I gathered Olivia is becoming stronger with her abilities  and is supposed to become the gatekeeper between the worlds. We also learned that the shapeshifters are called the First Wave and again we learned that a war (or storm) is coming. William also told her that he is more of an ally than an enemy and told Olivia she needs to find the guy who can open the door between the two worlds and that she needs to find him before the First Wave does. He then tells her what Olivia woke up to tell Peter at the beginning of the premiere.

We later learn that the storm or war is the collision of two universes and only one of them is going to remain.

Clearly this guy who can open the door between the universes is the man found on the table at the end and unfortunately the First wave was able to get to him first.

Exciting stuff and glad that Fringe brought me back in with a great episode. They have all been great but this was a good mythology one.

Survivor Samoa Episode 5 “I’m Voting You Off Because of the Editing”

Editing might have said otherwise but I think Ashley was just the next person to go. I think the editors kind of put together a reason why she was voted off because there wasn’t a clear reason so they made it look like she let the ball drop in both of the challenges. Yes she didn’t get any shots during the immunity challenge and didn’t get her sea slug shake down but based on her interviews it doesn’t really seem like that was the reasoning. Some clever editing this episode especially right before tribal council with each person getting an interview and making it look like they had not discussed the vote despite them actually talking about it. Ashely did say she would have worked harder to get Liz out if it hadn’t been raining, which might be the case, but a unanimous vote like that makes it seem like we didn’t get to see everything. I would say that the tribal council voting video they put up each episode on the CBS website could be a bit more revealing on why she left.

Things were left out like Erik against Natalie in their own shake face off…but that happens every episode and every season. They just don’t have the time to show everything and they need to have a specific reason why someone was voted off.

We haven’t had a gross food challenge in quite some time so I am glad they brought it back and they brought back one of the best ones. This was one of the best challenges way back in Survivor Pearl Islands. What a great idea. It isn’t just going to be disgusting it is going to be ridiculous cause of the combination of various sea creatures mixed together. Glad they took a nice long  break from this challenge but I was happy to see Survivor return to its roots.

I could see what Liz was trying to do in this episode, trying to get people to doubt Ashley but with Russell in this game making any accusations like that could affect your time. It was also especially stupid for Liz to call Russell out about having the hidden immunity idol. Liz is now in trouble. She is. Her tribe keeps losing immunity challenges and she is starting problems. At this point of the game it isn’t really smart to call people out especially if you aren’t safe from going to tribal council. However she did do a great job during the immunity challenge and that might keep her safe but the next vote is between her and Natalie and Russell isn’t going to let Natalie go anywhere.

Not much from Galu this episode except for some more Shambo and Russell S problems. I tried to like Russell S. but I do not like his leadership decisions that he has made. Getting the blankets and pillows was a terrible choice plus arguing with Dave at the fire wasn’t very smart. Dave of course was stupid trying to yell at Russell about the fire but Russell tried to keep the fight going and tried to confront Dave about it. Now it actually was probably a smart decision to send Shambo because she has separated herself from the tribe but now he also has her attitude to deal with. I don’t envy his position at all. You can tell he is frustrated and doesn’t want to have to make these choices but he has to and I don’t think he is doing a very good job.

I’m a bit disappointed in this season so far. I love Shambo and Russell H but it is time to develop other people. That is always the problem with 20 people seasons that there is just not time to show everybody. We are about to head into the sixth episode next week and I don’t know what Mick, Liz, Laura, Kelly, Brett, and John have really done on the show. We’ve gotten a little bit from a few of them but not really enough to form an opinion on them. That is over a third of the cast. Next wee they really need to develop one of them or some of them or otherwise I won’t be a big fan of this season after all.

I really liked Ashley. I thought she was going to be my favorite this time. The scene with her and Natalie was really nice to watch, they seemed to have a tight friendship. It must have been really hard for Natalie to vote Ashley off because they bonded so much. It would have been great o see Ashley play the game at the merge. She seemed like she knew how to play this game a lot better than those on Galu, she just got stuck on a crappy tribe.

I have my opinions on who is medivacced out next week, I’ll keep them to myself but we definitely have a double boot for sure with someone leaving and someone being voted off. Hopefully then it won’t be the Russell H and Shambo show.

Survivor Samoa Episode 4 “Here is a Great Strategy…Not Doing Work Around Camp”

I am not surprised that Yasmin got out nor do I agree with her statement about not working so she cannot get in trouble but I think I wanted her to stick around a few more episodes cause Monica isn’t adding anything to the show and honestly she did suck at the challenge. However it is a social game and Monica was clearly more socially involved with the tribe than Yasmin was. Monica seems to be friends with Laura and the boys while it seemed that Yasmin mainly kept to Russell S. Plus again by not doing any work around camp you immediately are digging yourself a whole. I will always remember her  for her fighting with Ben but her attitude and stupid game tactics easily got her out first on her tribe. She would have been an amazing character to get to the merge but I didn’t think she was going to be around long anyway. Also a side note Russell S is going to dig his own grave by not wanting to  go with the group. Yes in the end he might have voted for Yasmin but he complained about it leading up to tribal council. I don’t think he is long for this game.

Lets go back a bit to the beginning. Russell H saying he has it all under his thumb? What? Oh was he not at camp yesterday? When the vote didn’t go his way? I think Russell is cocky but he shouldn’t say shit like that especially in retrospect after Natalie says not a lot of people really like him. He is in this till the end game or final nine but he does not have as much power as he thinks he does. That being said I am extremely excited about the Russell and Natalie alliance. Cause I wouldn’t mind both of them to get far and because Natalie is a lot smarter than people thinks she is. It would be great if she was eventually able to outsmart Russell and vote him off. What a great storyline that would be, especially after he so easily dismissed her in this game. Great alliance when both think they are playing each other.

Jaison what the hell is this bullshit? You just got Ben got, suck it up and play the fucking game. Waste of a spot if you quit. Please don’t. But again I hate quitters…minus Kathy from Micronesia and Jenna during All Stars….and Janu from Palau. Ok maybe I don’t hate them but if he quits cause of Ben or because it is to damn hard then please go now.

One of the funniest scenes this episode was when John came up to Erik and Shambo and saying the exact same thing about getting the clues to the idol. This scene also showed how stupid Shambo is. I don’t know if I would say fake clues but I don’t think her telling them will help her game at all. In fact this whole episode showed what an awful spot Shambo is in.She needs a tribe swap as soon as possible cause she could easily go next. Erik also found the idol this episode on Galu which I am happy about. I think he is in a great spot and knows how the game works. But …maybe the producers should hide the idols a bit harder? I know they aren’t listening since it has been extremely easy to find it since the Cook Islands but seriously? He just walked around. Note to future contestants, just start looking for the idol as soon as you get to camp.

What an odd challenge without Jeff. It would have worked better if they actually had to negotiate the reward instead of showing how Jeff doesn’t need to be there for any challenges if they can read it off of a piece of paper and hey while they are at it they can go to tribal council and vote someone out without Jeff. I don’t know why Jeff seemed to talk highly about it in his EW blog but he sure seemed to like it.

Finally got to see some of Galu, hopefully we will get a bit more next week.

Private Practice Season 3 Premiere “A Death In the Family”

For me it is all about being invested in the characters and I am still finding a problem with that. The show was great and well edited. I loved the shifts between the present and the past showing Pete coping with his wife’s death. I loved how all of the characters came together besides their own problems and I loved the reveal that the baby was in fact alive…and of course I loved the happy ending with Violet and child both fine. So I liked it all so why am I not more involved in this show and like it? Especially when I feel like it is a strong show with better plots and Grey’s Anatomy?

Maybe it is because I feel like we know the characters better on Grey’s Anatomy which does have a three season stint on Private Practice but I felt a connection right away with that show that I didn’t get with this. This spin off started because of Addison so it kind of felt like we were jumping right in to the middle of it and when I still watch it I still feel like I don’t know everything or don’t know much about the characters. Grey’s Anatomy did an incredible job with that in its first limited run season this show did not.

Regardless of my own issues with the show I still thought it was well put together. I was however disappointed that it focused so heavily on Violet, despite her plot being the most intriguing last season. I wanted to know more about Naomi and Charlotte and what happened with them after Naomi quit the practice and Charlotte lost her job. I just felt it was a bit to heavily focused on Violet and that was all the episode was really about. Yes the Pete storyline was in there but that was almost just a vehicle to show his relationship with Violet and how it started. Plus despite her monologue at the end and her medical scenes we didn’t see to much of Addison who really is the central character of the show.

I did like all of the Cooper and Dell scenes, those two continue to be intriguing and are my favorite characters besides Addison.

At this point I am not quite sure where to go with this. I could easily drop it but I would also feel like I was missing out. This show is just very lukewarm to me and I almost feel like it is a chore to watch it, which really is the first warning that it isn’t going to stick around long. Bottom line is I see the heart of it but it almost seems a bit mechanical, like this show is going through the motions and is trying but it doesn’t have that concern factor (not that Grey’s always does but it does a hell of a lot more than this show).  Good first episode but something is missing for me and I hope to find it soon.

Survivor Samoa Episode 3 – “Some Good Ole Fashioned Shambo Rambo Racism”

Misleading title, I know. Cause Shambo wasn’t racist in this episode but since it focused heavily on her (and I liked the alliteration) I thought I could combine the two.

First of all let me just say I am so glad Ben is gone. Even if he wasn’t throwing around these little racist quips about Yasmin or whatever else we heard I’d still dislike him. From his attitude in the first episode to being pissy with Jeff (despite the overreaction about it from everyone) about the immunity challenge last episode it just made me feel sick. He took the fun out of Survivor for a bit. I’ll say it again despite Russell H. going strategy crazy I still think he is entertaining because Ben was not.

This episode really put a lot of focus on how much control does one person have and how far are you going to push for someone to go when your whole tribe is pushing for someone else to be voted off. This was the case with Russell H. who lost a lot of his power this week. I understood his reasoning. Ben stays around and he continues to piss people off, they can vote him off later while he is still being a bastard. Why not get rid of someone like Ashley who is sweet and will slide by when they get to the merge? However you can’t force 5 other people to do something that they didn’t really want to do.

Other things I like…Natalie finally showing up. From the beginning where she didn’t say much to Russell but tried to show her loyalty to the end with her sitting between Jaison and Ben. She seems like a great person to have around, hopefully we will continue to see a bit more.

I also liked that we got another sliver of Galu. Unfortunately the editing made it so obvious they were safe because we didn’t see them at all. Um yes I get that we need to see what is going down with the tribe that loses immunity but I would keep it balanced to keep viewers on their toes. Better yet, since the editing has become so formulaic they need to really show Foa Foa one episode and then all of a sudden have them win immunity. I’d be surprised actually cause I wouldn’t expect a heavily edited or show tribe to win. By the way, I am all for having more camp life then 40 minutes of challenges but I also like the pacing of two challenges an episode. This week they were lacking in the challenge department, which didn’t seem to work as they had planned, and it was so short and boring I kind of forgot about it and had to look it up.

I am liking Shambo a lot, she has been pretty awesome. She is kind of Rupert in this third generation of the show. Doesn’t know how to play the game but is still likable (until she starts telling us how this is her adventure and this show is all about her). I want to say she is long for this game but I don’t know the dynamics of Galu very well to judge on that right now. She did an excellent job integrating with Foa Foa and befriending them. Much better then whatever Yasmin did the week before.

Huge points for Jaison for being level headed and coming up with good arguments. Next week it looks like he could potentially quit though complaining to Russell H. about how he is drained…and that would suck as well especially if it s some weird foreshadowing…just stick it out Jaison. Ben is gone. But again I didn’t know what to think of Jaison until this episode and he made me smile. He seems like a good and smart guy, hopefully he can take it all the way or at least get through this without whining too much.

I thought with all of the drama between Jaison and Ben at tribal council that this was a solid episode. Foa Foa is having some great tribal councils though and hopefully they will get better and better. Cause at the end of the day the producers want a heated tribal council fight. I am a bit nervous about the reunion at the end of the season hopefully Ben learned that you can’t say whatever the fuck you want…well you can but you can look like a racist.

The Middle Season 1 Premiere “Pilot”

Not as good as Modern Family but still I thought a fairly strong first episode. Let me start this off. I am not a huge fan of Patricia Heaton and I didn’t like Everybody Loves Raymond so granted I haven’t seen her a lot but since she is the focus of this show I have to talk about her and you know what…I kind of liked her. She had the right sense of desperation mixed with comedic elements. She did a good job driving the show along and you felt for her when things were not going her way.

The show in general felt very much like Malcolm in the Middle with Patricia Heaton playing the Malcolm character. She isn’t brainy like him and isn’t talking to the camera but she narrates the whole episode and tells us the whole story about her family. I’d be curious if they dropped that aspect so that the show could eventually focus on other people or if they won’t have her narrate when she is not present.

The rest of the cast was solid as well. Neil Flynn was kind of there and did a good job, he didn’t bring it down at all but he didn’t really stand out either same thing with the oldest son. However Atticus Shaffer and Eden Sher both did great jobs as Frankie’s daughter and youngest son. In fact I thought the two stole a lot of the scenes that they were in and both did great character work. Atticus really reminded me of Erik Per Sullivan who played Dewey in Malcolm in the Middle. Both characters are odd and weird but add a great element to the show. Hopefully they can start branching out a bit more with Neil Flynn and the oldest son or at least give them something to do.

I liked the pacing and the narration didn’t take anything away and I also thought that Patricia Heaton had a lot of good timing. This is definitely a comfort food kind of show. I’m not sure how long it could go on or how well the ratings will be. ABC always struggles in the comedy department but they did just pick this up for a full season so they have some confidence in it. I’d be happy to get two or three years out of it especially if it stays strong. Heck if ABC pulls Hank mid-season and puts in Better Off Ted with this and Modern Family…what a great night of comedy!

Fringe Season 2 – Episode 3 “Fracture”

This episode Fringe returned a little bit more to its roots instead of their X-Files like episode from the previous week. Yes it is fine if they relate it to the “fringe science” we’ve been hearing about but when that is barely there it is kind of hard to imagine. This episode related a little bit more to the “science” and actually brought some new mythology. I have to say right now that I am obsessed with the Observer. He is my favorite semi-recurring character. I like that they put him in every episode and I love how they tie him in. He is just so weird and yet so awesome. But he is also completely in the grey. I kind of thought he was a good guy at the end of the first season but after this episode I am not so sure. All I know was that my interest piqued incredibly at the end of this episode when we saw the pepper being poured on the sandwich and the transporter handing him the briefcase with Walter’s pictures. I can’t wait for that reveal or to see what the Observer or Observers have planned for him.

I am also just charmed by Walter every week. One of my friends who watches the show with me tells me it is so hard to watch Walter because she feels so bad for him. I guess I look at it from a different approach. I feel so happy for him. After being locked up in the asylum for so long he is now back out and doing what he loves yet he is still so quirky. Yes he has some tragic elements to him but I think a lot of the time Walter is happy or is in a great mood. I think his temper can quickly change but he is very intriguing and of course my favorite character. John Noble just continues to do a great job. My favorite moments were when Walter winks to Peter after asking the agent if they could take the bodies but only if it was alright with her. Plus I loved the line while Peter and Walter were eating the cheeseburgers: “If you are going to eat that cheeseburger in here could you at least be a little discreet.” I also am liking this budding friendship between Astrid and Walter. I have a feeling it will be tested or that Astrid will get involved in something horrible that might really destroy Walter.

I wish they had gone a little farther with Sam Weiss. Hopefully he’ll pop back up eventually cause I was a little disappointed that he was done so quickly and wasn’t in the episode so much. Speaking of Sam Weiss though I did love the Olivia headache scene near the beginning of the episode. The red was so jarring and it was so creepy. Great editing right there and good acting by Anna Torv.

Finally, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Harper’s Island this summer but I am always glad to see a familiar face from any actor. If you saw Harper’s Island and thought Captain Diane Burgess was familiar it was because the actress, Claudette Mink, she played the young slutty step-mom of Trish…Katherine Wellington.

Interesting concept with the human bombs this episode. Didn’t have too much to go with it though and most of it was wrapped up at the end. This show is just like Lost where we get a bit of this and a bit of that without any huge explanations…which was why I got so frustrated during Peter’s Iraq scenes cause I didn’t really know what was going on entirely. Hopefully it will down the line, I have faith that it will.