It’ll probably be a short column this week, as there isn’t much going on in the world of television, and I’m also pretty exhausted from being out til the wee hours Saturday night for a holiday party.
I forgot to mention in last week’s column that I caught the special Christmas edition of The Dead Zone, and I enjoyed it. However, what was the deal with the vision of the Santa with the gun in the beginning of the episode? That didn’t even end up playing into the episode, and wasn’t resolved in the least. It was very, very odd. I also felt that the relationship between Johnny and Alex jumped about 30 steps, as she shows up at his doorstep to spend Christmas together, they kiss almost immediately, and he goes on and on about how happy he is to see her. They were definitely building up to something last season, but it didn’t seem like she left with them THAT close to beginning a relationship together.
Also, be sure to read the latest InsidePulse monthly feature in which various columnists discuss shows that they felt got cancelled before its time. I wrote about Joan of Arcadia, a show I still wish was on television. Here’s the address, be sure to give it a read:
http://tv.insidepulse.com/articles/45191
Along with that, check out my Smallville recap/review for the last episode of 2005. Here’s the address:
https://insidepulse.com/articles/45249
So in his latest column TV’s Second Wife, Josh Clinton wonders why adult themed cartoons are so popular. This prompts me to bring up something I had wanted to discuss for a while, but was never motivated enough for it. I absolutely love Adult Swim, and always have. I’m a huge fan of The Brak Show, and really all of those shows that were around from the beginning. That said, I feel like practically every new cartoon the network premieres is absolutely terrible. There are exceptions, as I really enjoy Stroker and Hoop, but overall I really have trouble sitting through some of their shows. I would rather get castrated than watch five minutes of Tom Goes to the Mayor, and shows like 12 Oz. Mouse seem to think that just because something is random, it’s funny. Again, there are a ton of hilarious shows on there, like Home Movies (I still love that pizza club episode), but I just feel like nine out of the ten new shows they debut are just terrible.
Also, so far I haven’t received any e-mail from Danni, or anybody pretending to be Danni (thought I might get one of those, at least). Speaking of which, AOL conducted an interview with her and Steph shortly after the finale, and I was surprised to learn that Danni said that even if Rafe hadn’t released her from her promise, she STILL would have taken Steph to the finals. I have to admit I’m a little disappointed to hear that, since I had noted last week that she would have if Rafe hadn’t released her, but she brings up a good point: Rafe didn’t promise her the final two, so why should she promise it to him? And that’s something I was meaning to discuss more last week. There’s a reason why Rafe didn’t promise Danni the final two, because he knew going up against her would lessen his chances of winning. So why is it “wrong” (in Rafe’s eyes, who at the time did not know that she would have chosen Steph any way) when Danni does the same thing? That’s why I was pissed that he released her from any obligation, then voted against her for not taking him anyway.
Anyway, onto the week of television:
I enjoyed the holiday episode of Nip/Tuck, as it showed some real growth with each central character. Matt showed some semblance of common sense and maturity when he pretty outright told Ariel that she’s an idiot for thinking that there’s anything wrong with being 1/16 black, and had the sense to try to talk to her father about the whole thing. Christian also showed some compassion as well, so it was nice to see that he didn’t revert back to total prick mode since Kimber left him. I also liked the end of the episode, where he and Matt spent Christmas together. It was pretty predictable that Julia’s baby was actually Sean’s, but it was a nice moment nevertheless. I liked how they both jumped up at the same time to stop the abortion. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if either Julia or her unborn baby (or both) get killed by the Carver next week.
This brings up the question, who do I think the Carver is? Well, I’m sticking with my long time pick, which is still the obvious one: Quentin. I’ve heard some unusual predictions, like Liz or the female investigator, but I bring up the fact that Christian was raped (as were other victims), so the Carver has to be a male. A lot of people are also predicting that it could be Matt, but I don’t buy that. First off, I highly doubt he’d rape his own father. Along with that, he went pretty ballistic when he made out with a pre-op transsexual, so I don’t see him raping other men. Quentin just seems so obvious, since he’s openly bi-sexual, and has the resources to commit the crimes (and to frame Christian).
Oh, and don’t most historians believe that, chances are (given the geography) Jesus was black?
I highly enjoyed the Chris-mukkah episode of The OC, particularly the stuff with Seth and Summer (as usual). I never really saw the show first season, so there was a whole lot I didn’t know about Summer’s past. I had always assumed her parents were divorced, but I never really knew why. I put together that the drugged up, never seen step-mother was a running gag, but I had also never seen her boyfriend. Because of that, it was really nice seeing the family side of Summer. It was sweet that, even though she doesn’t particularly like her step-mother (it seems), she was still bummed out about her not being around for the holidays, if not for her father’s sake. It was also touching to see that she’s still not fully recovered by her mother leaving them, and that she still thinks about it a lot. Actually, one of my favorite parts of the episode was when it was revealed that Summer missed Seth’s Bar-Mitzvah because that was the day she found out her mother left, and not because she went to Luke’s party instead. As it turned out, Summer was going to go to the Bar-Mitzvah instead. At the end when Summer told him that she’s owed him this dance for five years, I thought that was really sweet, as was her telling him that he makes the holidays better for her.
I also liked that while Seth was hurt and impacted by nobody coming to his Bar-Mitzvah, he wasn’t bitter over it. I think that was the perfect mix, as you were able to feel bad for him, without ever thinking he’s acting like a jerk. I’m not really sure where this Marissa/Johnny/Ryan thing is going, but I actually like them being nice to each other more than Ryan and Johnny being at each other’s throats. To me, this is a better developed story.
It seems pretty obvious that they’re building up to something between Julie and Summer’s dad, which would definitely be interesting. As my brother said, that’s a very incestuous crew they’ve got there. In regards to that, I found it really funny when Sandy told Marissa she should join in on the picture, saying “she’s practically family.” In response, Seth quips “Well, technically she is.”
Reunion was an interesting episode, since (if memory serves) this was the first episode they’ve done in which the entire episode spanned over the course of a full year. Was this the last episode they’re airing? I’m going to miss this show, I hope they can find a way to finance the rest of the season, if only to release them on DVD or something. For what it’s worth, I still believe Carla is the killer.
Caught Family Guy and American Dad, and found both episodes hilarious (Family Guy more than American Dad). Peter, his father, and Brian talking about how they’re smarter than Madonna was quite possibly the funniest bit they’ve done since the return of the show. Especially when the conversation drifts to Dennis Rodman, but then ends up back on the subject of Madonna. The Lindsay Lohan thing was pretty funny as well. American Dad had some pretty funny moments too, but it wasn’t nearly as good as Family Guy.
Anyway, that’s it for this week. I hope everybody has a wonderful holiday. Personally, I need to all of my Christmas shopping still, so it should be a fun week for me.
