Fringe: After only slightly watching the show last season, I've really liked it so far this year. They decided to focus the show more, instead of just having the "monster of the week" format with an over-riding plot tying it all together. Starting with Olivia's meeting with Spock (or Leonard Nemoy, or whatever the hell his name is on the show... look, he'll always be Spock to everyone no matter what he does), they're now building up to an oncoming invasion by the beings from another universe. So, in lieu of "The Pattern" of last season, we now have a straight line pointing towards a big battle or war or whatever comes next. I think this has helped the show a lot, and they're handling the relationship between Olivia and Pacey (sorry, Peter) better than most shows. And Walter is just always fun to watch.
Flash Forward: This show has definitely lived up to its own insane hype. Following in the footsteps of Battlestar Galactica, the creators decided to feature an unbelievable, sci-fi premise, but then make the characters and situations completely believable. The actors have a lot to do with this, and the way they realistically handle knowing their own future is brilliant. This week, the show had its first major death when Al, one of the F.B.I. agents working to discover the truth behind the flash forwards, jumped off a roof to prevent himself from accidentally killing a woman he hadn't met yet. This is a big moment for the show, which up till now had been focused on bringing about the future everyone saw. Now, the show is giving us the possibility that the characters can change the future, its just a matter of how.
V: I was really looking forward to this show. And then I watched it. Well, I watched about fifteen minutes of it, which was long enough to tell that the characters were obvious, cliche, and horribly over-done; the acting wasn't good; and there was nothing likable about the leads. I now know why ABC limited the half-season order to a six episode mini-series. I'm only curious why they put this waste of airtime on at all.
Heroes: I still really like this show, to hell with what the ratings say. My one recurring issue is that the show keeps repeating itself in that it can't let any one character get too powerful. Ever since the first season, when Hiro lost his powers and then into the second when Peter had his mind wiped and then lost everything only to get some of it again and Sylar keeps getting weakened somehow and... Well, you see my point, and I'm just really sick of that. Let someone be a bad-ass! That would be a unique twist for the show at this point, and might bring back some viewers!
Supernatural: I am loving this show! Like Joss Whedon on Buffy and Angel, the creators have structured each season around one "big/bad" or one big issue, all the while building up to this season, which all involved swear is the final season. This means that even while having a "monster of the week," they're moving toward something specific. They've also been great at meta-fictional and self-aware humor, like when they had Paris Hilton guest star as a god who took the form of Paris Hilton to gain her fan's love, and then kill her. Or this week's episode, when the heroes, Sam and Dean, were trapped by a Trickster in numerous television parodies, including Grey's Anatomy (where they mocked that show's use of a ghost), a perfect C.S.I. send-up. a cheesy sitcom, and even a commercial for genital herpes medication. At this rate, the show is heading to one great finale!
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I agree with you on both Fringe and Flash Forward in that they are both very good shows bulding to something in particluar, and which boast strong acting from not only their leads (though listening to Joesph Fiennes try to use an American accent is pretty funny at times, and the same goes for his wife on the show, Sonya Walger, who also isn't from the U.S., I don't think. Adventures in elocution!) but also their secondary characters like Broyles and Astrid on Fringe (can't wait for them to find some way for her to leave the lab and go out with them on one of their monster hunting adventures) and hobbit boy, Worthington from the Pirates movies, and Kumar-or was he Harold?-on Flash Forward (yes, I know that they have names, but much like Spock, that is the only way I can think of them). Good writing, and not only serious scripts, but also ones that have fun moments, especially from Walter on Fringe, who maybe the funniest charcter on TV, and that includes people on sitcoms. Very good shows overall, and I think that both could be a nice successors to Lost, if both survive (Fringe is in the most trouble, thanks to Fox's dumbass decision to put it on during the most competive time period of the week, Thursday at 8. At least more people watch Fringe than the over hyped 30 Rock. People do have taste after all). I differ slightly on V. I agree that the acting was bad throughout, especially between Elizabeth Mitchell and her son on the show. Those scenes were almost unwatchable. The end showed where the show could go, and I am interested enough to try another week. By the way, a lot of people wathced the first episode (14 million, and it grew in the 2nd half hour, holding its own very well aganinst TV's no 1 show, NCIS) so expect them to increase that order very soon. I don't watch Supernatural, so I can't say anything about that, and you might be right about Heroes, in that they never want someone to be too strong. I also find it very repetive that they always have to band together to beat some big enemy. This year it looks like it will be Ringmaster of the circus freaks, which is too bad, because he is becoming my favorite character on the show. A man with power who seems to enjoy having the power, and uses it to his advantage. Imagine that. Also, the actor (Robert Kuepper or something like that) was great on Prison Break as T-Bag (I was one of the 10 people who watched that show to its end, so bear with me) and he has brought a lot of the similar attitude to this character, which is wonderful in my opininon. Overall, an improved season of Heroes, and I hope that it continues to go well as the season progresses. That is my two cents, and why no mention of Dollhouse? I know it is not going to be on the air for long (it got taken off during November and it looks like they are going to burn off the rest in December before cancelling it) but it has been solid this year, but a little repetive from episode to episode.
ReplyDeleteSonya Walger is VERY British, as is Joseph, Ralph and all those Fiennes running around. (You have got to go to Wikipedia and see the Fiennes' full names. Since they're an old English family with some vague, distant relationship to royalty they all have four or five names and they're all ridiculous!)
ReplyDeleteOh, and the guy's name was Norrington on Pirates, and the actor's name is Jack Davenport, which I only know because I own the BBC show Coupling which he did; and John Cho was Harold, the Indian guy was Kumar (Duh, he's Indian). Though I think if Cho makes one or two more Star Trek movies, we should start calling him the Straight Sulu.
With Fringe, I'm waiting for them to do SOMETHING with Astrid, she seems to do even less than the tech geeks on other shows. Hell, I think Pacey should make a move on Astrid (she is hot!) and forget that complicated Olivia chick.
For Elizabeth Mitchell on V, it seemed to me she was playing the "old" Juliet (her character on Lost), the one who was cold and looked at everything with a deadpan monotony that always bugged me. As opposed to the much more likable Juliet who seems to have died on last season's finale.
I love that you took the time to say you had no opinion of Supernatural. You're like one of those people who takes the time and effort to take a poll only to say they're not interested in whatever the poll's on. That takes an aggressive apathy. That shows a profound need to inform others of your lack of difference. I love that.
The bad guy on Heroes I'm not wild about because of his whole Jonsetown cult "family" thing he keeps on about. That's just always creepy.
I haven't seen Dollhouse since last year, and I really wasn't that into then, to be honest.